Some species are found once, reported, and then seem to have the ability to remain hidden, only to be rediscovered many years later. From golden moles to birds of prey, these species persist despite small populations and tiny distributions. Now, joining this list of rediscovered species is a frog from Chile that was thought to […]
World’s Oldest Human Burials Show Neanderthals And Homo Sapiens Shared Culture And Technology
Around 100,000 years ago, a group of Homo sapiens-like humans buried five of their dead at Timshenet cave, along with grave goods consisting of animal remains and chunks of red ochre. At the same time, neighboring tribes of archaic hominids – including some that were more Neanderthal-like in appearance – adopted similar customs, all of […]
US Nuclear “Doomsday” Plane Seen Flying Over The Midwest In 7 Hour Flight
The US “Doomsday Plane” has been spotted flying over the US Midwest, taking off from Oklahoma and circling over Nebraska and Iowa, before returning to land in the Sooner State. According to flight tracker AirNav, the Boeing E-6B Mercury’s flight took it over the Offutt Air Force nuclear command base. ADVERTISEMENT At the height of […]
Greenhouse Gases Will Reduce The Number of Satellites That Can Orbit Safely
Greenhouse gases are eroding the safe carrying capacity for low Earth orbit, a new study concludes. Moreover, the authors calculate that without drastic cuts to emissions, the difference will be marked. If their calculations are right, the dreams of many companies to drastically scale up and use the region just above our atmosphere for communications […]
Why Reading Science Articles (Like This One!) Can Help You Stay Mentally Young
The secret to remaining mentally astute into old age? Keep reading – no, literally. New research has shown that cognitive decline is not inevitable. Frequently using literacy and numeracy skills – whether by checking an email, calculating the grocery budget, or reading a science news article – can keep the brain sharp and prevent decline […]
Why Don’t Modern Land Mammals Ever Evolve To Be As Huge As Dinosaurs?
The biggest animal that has ever existed on Earth is alive today, and swimming around in the oceans. But most land mammals, impressive though an elephant may be, look like a tiny elephant shrew in comparison to the mighty Brachiosaurus. ADVERTISEMENT The bad news is, we are probably not going to see land mammals the […]
Thousands Join “Stand Up for Science” Rallies Across US Protesting Trump’s Funding Cuts
Thousands of protestors came together on Friday, March 7 to take a stand against sweeping cuts to scientific funding and attacks against scientific organizations by the Trump Administration. ADVERTISEMENT Rallies organized by the grassroots organization “Stand Up for Science” took place in 32 cities across the US. A number of walkouts – where people literally […]
The Moon Will Turn Blood Red For Around An Hour On Thursday
Last week, North America was treated to the unusual sight of an X on the Moon. On Thursday, viewers in North America will be able to witness a relatively rare event, occurring roughly once every two and half years, as the Moon turns a blood-red color in the night sky. ADVERTISEMENT While you would be […]
Astronaut On ISS Captures Mysterious Blue Jet Sprite Lighting Up Earth’s Atmosphere
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore has captured an image of a blue jet sprite in the Earth’s atmosphere, a rare phenomenon only confirmed in recent years. ADVERTISEMENT Astronaut and keen astrophotographer Don Pettit shared a photo to Reddit, taken by colleague Butch Wilmore during his unexpectedly long stay on board the International Space Station (ISS). “Here […]
How Indigenous Myths, Story-Telling, And Knowledge Could Forewarn Us Of Natural Disasters
This story is well known. On December 26, 2004, an enormous undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia and brought with it a tsunami that devastated the island populations. Around 230,000 people lost their lives in what is still recognized as one of the deadliest disasters of modern history. However, what is not so […]
Why Does Daylight Saving Time Start at 2am, Not Midnight?
Ever wondered why daylight saving time (DST) starts at exactly 2am? The railroads may be to blame. What exactly is daylight saving time? ADVERTISEMENT In the US, DST occurs on the second Sunday of March. This is when the clocks “spring forward” an hour ahead of standard time. In effect, we lose an hour and […]
Light Dark Matter Particles Near Galactic Center Could Explain Three Physics Mysteries At Once
Astronomers have observed two strange phenomena near the heart of our galaxy where existing explanations run into trouble. A new paper shows how a hypothetical particle could be the underlying cause of both, and might even fulfill the quest to find dark matter. If the authors are right, the problem is that we’ve been looking […]
Adorable All-White Spix’s Disc-Winged Bat Marks First Record Of Leucism In The Species
Unusually colored animals often turn up where you least expect them, and in all manner of species – from albino anteaters to all-black penguins, genetics can throw a spanner in the works for even the brightest feathers and fur. Now, a Spix’s disc-winged bat has been seen in Belize with beautiful white fur for the first […]
Dog Treats Made From Lab-Grown Meat Go On Sale In UK
Would you give your dog food that’s been grown in a lab? It sounds like something futuristic, but that future is already here – at least in the UK that is, where they’ve just started selling dog treats made from lab-grown meat. ADVERTISEMENT The treats, dubbed “Chick Bites”, contain both plant-based ingredients and lab-grown meat, […]
Sorry To Tell You, But You’re Probably Misunderstanding Your Dog’s Emotions
Dogs are some of our closest companions – but are we really all that in tune with how they’re feeling? We might like to think we are, but a new study suggests that actually, we’re often misunderstanding our fluffy besties completely. ADVERTISEMENT That’s what Arizona State University researchers Holly Molinaro and Clive Wynne found when […]
Why Telling Jokes Could Increase Trust in Science
What’s a physicist’s favorite food? Fission chips. ADVERTISEMENT Science may have earned a reputation for being dry and serious. However, as we have long suspected at IFLScience, new research suggests that adding a little humor not only makes science more fun but more trustworthy, too. “When used responsibly, humor is a powerful tool that can […]
What Is A Main Sequence Star?
If you get away from city lights and witness the astonishing beauty of the night sky, most of the stars you can see are part of what is known as the “main sequence”. The few that aren’t part of it get attention out of proportion to their numbers, but sometimes we should step back and […]
Male Blue-lined Octopuses Use Venom To Stop Sexual Partners Eating Them
Male blue-lined octopi (Hapalochlaena fasciata) have been found to use venom on their sexual partners, as well as for the usual reasons of defense against predators and subduing prey. Killing the females would be counterproductive, but adaptations mean that they just get sedated instead – moreover, the males would be well placed to plead self-defense. ADVERTISEMENT […]
Chained-Up Nun’s Skeleton Confirms Byzantine Women Practiced Extreme Self-Torture
A skeleton that was found shackled with thick mental chains and weighed down with iron plates has turned out to be female, thus revealing that women as well as men once practiced extreme asceticism. Found in Jerusalem and dated to the fifth century CE, the ancient nun is thought to have tormented herself in the […]
What Is Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, The Disease That Killed Gene Hackman’s Wife Betsy Arakawa?
New Mexico health officials have announced that Betsy Arakawa, a classical pianist, businesswoman, and wife of renowned actor Gene Hackman, died from a rare disease known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). ADVERTISEMENT “This tragic death reminds us that hantavirus remains a serious public health concern in our state,” said Erin Phipps, state public health veterinarian […]
