A marathon is 42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards), an oddly precise number that doesn’t appear to line up with any modern measurement. To understand how and why it became this specific distance, you must take a short jog through the history of ancient Greece, the first modern Olympics, and the British Royal Family. […]
Wisdom, World’s Oldest Wild Bird, Seen Courting Again After Losing Mate Of 60 Years
After three long years without the appearance of her mate, Wisdom, the world’s oldest known wild bird, appears to have hung up her metaphorical mourning outfit and put her best dancing shoes back on, after being spotted bopping about with potential new mates. Believed to have hatched in 1951, Wisdom the Layson albatross is believed […]
Vaccine Breakthrough Could Mean Future-Proof Shots With No Need For Boosters
A new vaccine platform could see us waving goodbye to boosters for some diseases, as one shot could cover every possible future strain of a virus. So far, it’s only been tested out in mice, but the scientists behind it are optimistic. “This could be the universal vaccine that we have been looking for,” said […]
Scientists Searching For Extraterrestrial Life Have First “Contact Call” – With A Whale
Scientists at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) say that they have had their first ever “contact call” – with a whale. SETI may seem like an unlikely organization to concern themselves with whale song, given that their brief is to search for proof of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. The thing that […]
How Many Octopuses Are Too Many? Family Pet Lays 50 Surprise Eggs
One family just wanted to make their child’s dream come true. However, they might have gotten a bit more than they bargained for after the one octopus they bought for their son multiplied into 51 octopuses. Cal Clifford, a 9-year-old from Edmond, Oklahoma, in the United States, had asked for a pet octopus at every […]
What’s A “Supertaster” And Could You Be One?
Do you think you have good taste? Not the type that makes you judge other people for wearing Shrek-themed Crocs outside of the house, that is, but one of the five senses. If your tongue happens to be home to some key features, science might even deem you a supertaster. What’s a supertaster? The term […]
What Is PRP And How Is It Used?
It’s not often that we get to talk about vampires, skincare, and sports injuries in the same sentence, but there is one medical treatment that unites these seemingly separate worlds. It’s called platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and it’s been growing in popularity in recent years. But how does it work – and, for that matter, does […]
Vaquita Survey 2024: The Search For The World’s Rarest Mammal Is On
Mark your diaries, folks: On May 5, 2024, the vaquita survey kicks off as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society goes in search of the world’s rarest mammal. Having been issued an extinction alert by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) – the first in 70 years – it’s a critical time for one of the planet’s […]
An Easy Trick Can Boost Butterfly Numbers In Your Garden By Up To 93 Percent
Spring has sprung in the Northern Hemisphere and if you’re looking to give your garden an all-natural boost, scientists have a simple trick: don’t cut your lawn. Gardeners and bug lovers have long sworn by this advice, but it’s now been reaffirmed by scientific research. In a new study, scientists at Butterfly Conservation in the […]
How Deep Was Lake Manly, Death Valley’s Short-Lived Lake?
Despite normally being drier than your mouth after demolishing a pack of saltines, the summer of 2023 saw Death Valley transformed by the appearance of a temporary lake in Badwater Basin. Though it’s now disappeared, thanks to a new analysis of satellite images, we now know how the depth of this ephemeral lake changed over […]
New Species May Be The Largest Snake To Have Ever Lived
A new species of prehistoric snake may be one of the largest snakes to have ever slithered the Earth. With an estimated body length of up to 15 meters (over 49 feet), the extinct species might even rival the size of Titanoboa, the current title holder of the world’s largest-ever snake. The newly discovered snake, […]
DNA Study Finds Unknown Group Of Ancestors Of Modern Japanese People
A study that sequenced the DNA of 3,200 people across Japan has found suggestions that modern Japanese people are the descendants of three ancestral groups, not two as has been previously thought. For a long time, it has been believed that modern Japanese people were descended from two groups: early hunter-gatherers known as the Jomon, […]
Iceberg That Sank The Titanic May Be Shown In Unearthed Photo From 1912
A rediscovered photo captured two days after the Titanic sank is going on auction this month. The photo, taken by undertaker John Snow Jr, may show the iceberg that sank the ship on its maiden voyage 112 years ago on April 14. When the Titanic sank 640 kilometers (400 miles) off Newfoundland, Canada, over 1,500 […]
Nearby Supernova Was Surprisingly Lacking In Cosmic Rays, Throwing Doubts On Theories
The supernova SN 2023ixf offered astronomers an unusual opportunity when it exploded last year. Unfortunately, it has deepened, rather than resolved, the problem of explaining cosmic rays. It’s also thrown models of supernovae into doubt, but hey, if we had all the answers, we wouldn’t need scientists. We now detect thousands of supernovae each year, […]
Three Hearts, Blue Blood, And Venom 1,000 Times Stronger Than Cyanide – We’re Talking About Octopuses
When you think of octopuses, you probably imagine a fleshy bag of an animal with eight arms – but there’s a lot more to these creatures than meets the eye. For starters, they have three hearts that pump blue blood, and one species even packs venom 1,000 times more powerful than cyanide. Don’t believe us? […]
Why Do Dolphins Swim In Front Of Ships?
It seems like a bucket list item, to go for an idyllic boat ride and see dolphins playing in the wake or riding the bow wave at the front of the boat. But what inspires this behavior in these curious cetaceans? Are they simply enjoying themselves, or is there more to this behavior than meets […]
One Of The Most Endangered Mammals On The Planet Just Got Two New Clones
In 2020, the world rejoiced as scientists successfully created a black-footed ferret clone known as Elizabeth Ann using the frozen cells of a deceased individual called Willow. Elizabeth Ann was a boost for the endangered species, Mustela nigripes, and now it’s got two extra playmates: the black-footed ferret clones Antonia and Noreen. All three of […]
Burnt Remains Of Maya Rulers Hint At Fiery Political Revolution
As the Maya civilization began to crumble during the 9th century CE, a corner of the realm became embroiled in a dramatic revolution. Astonishing evidence for this political upheaval has now been discovered in an ancient pyramid in Guatemala, where researchers have found the burnt remains of Maya royalty, hinting at a fiery public display […]
This Seabird Makes The Longest Migration Each Year From Antarctica To The Arctic
Each year, Arctic terns embark on a quest to follow the summer sun, traveling the length of the globe from the upper Northern Hemisphere to Antarctica in the planet’s deep south. Making round-trips longer than 30,000 kilometers (18,641 miles) annually, the plucky seabird holds the record for the longest migration of any animal on the […]
Does The Word “Avocado” Have A Double Meaning?
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