Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research, or KSTAR, is one of the most advanced test fusion reactors on the planet. Nicknamed the Korean artificial sun, it has now demonstrated sustained fusion temperature for almost a minute and the ability to contain extremely hot plasma for over 100 seconds. Fusion is what powers stars, but in stars, […]
Can You Die From Hanging Upside Down?
Face turning red, eyes feeling squashed, a pulsing in your ears: hanging upside down is not a pleasant experience, but how dangerous can being suspended the wrong way up really be? The truth is that it is possible to die from hanging upside down because the posture puts undue pressure on certain organs. The human […]
New Tiny Deer Species Is First Discovered In South America For Over 60 Years
A new species of tiny deer has been discovered in the central Andes in Peru, becoming the first new cervid species found in South America for over 60 years – though that’s not the only cool thing about this discovery. Previously, there were thought to be just two species of a group of deer known […]
If Brain Transplants Like The One In Poor Things Were Possible, This Is How They Might Work
The neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero announced in 2015 that he could soon be capable of performing the world’s first human head transplant procedure. This would mean that it would be possible to remove someone’s head, and graft it onto the neck and shoulders of another person. As of yet, this has only been performed on cadavers […]
Do Animals Have Friends? Find Out More In Issue 21 Of CURIOUS – Out Now
Issue 21 (April 2024) of CURIOUS is out now, bringing you science highlights for the month plus deep dives into intriguing topics, interviews, exclusives, diary dates, and explanations for some of Earth’s most perplexing natural phenomena and landscapes. In This Issue… Advertisement OUR COVER STORY: Do Animals Have Friends? From canine companions to beluga besties, […]
Upcoming Solar Eclipse Could See Dramatic Shifts In Bird Behavior
Though millions of people across North America will be looking up to the sky to witness April 8’s total solar eclipse, some scientists will have their sights elsewhere: on animals, especially those of the flying variety. A team of researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will be keeping a particularly close eye on birds, […]
FDA Cleared Vs FDA Approved: What’s The Difference?
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is one of the big cheeses of public health, responsible for regulating a whole bunch of products that people use every day. These products are either “cleared” or “approved” (or neither) – but what do these terms actually mean? Is there any difference between the […]
The Alarming Reasons Why The Colorado River No Longer Reaches The Sea
The Colorado River is perhaps one of North America’s most iconic, curving through such natural wonders as the Rockies and the Grand Canyon – but its waters are also historically low, to the point where it no longer reaches the sea. In an effort to figure out how best to tackle the problem, a new […]
“Barbie Pigs” Among Possible New-To-Science Species Discovered, Potentially Fatal Consequence Linked To Upcoming Total Solar Eclipse, And Much More This Week
This week, the first image of the magnetic fields around Sagittarius A* has been taken using the Event Horizon Telescope, male and female crab spiders may be using cooperative mimicry to resemble a full flower in a world-first, and climate change is affecting the shape of the Earth which may impact global timekeeping. Finally, we […]
California’s Yurok Tribe To Regain Lost Gold Rush Land As Gateway To Redwood National Park
Having lost 90 percent of its territory during the 1800s gold rush, a historic memorandum signed on March 19, 2024, will see a region of land returned to the Yurok Tribe, with plans for it to serve as a future gateway to the Redwood National and State Parks, managed by both the tribe and the […]
How Will The Solar Eclipse Affect Solar Power Generation?
On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, from the west of Mexico all the way to Newfoundland in Canada. Since solar power continues to grow across the United States, the impending eclipse has people wondering how much it will affect power generation across the country. In particular, the path of totality […]
Why Do Galaxies Come In Their Mix Of Shapes?
If asked to draw a galaxy, you’d probably produce a spiral shape like the one above. When it comes to gaining our attention, spiral galaxies have big advantages – for one thing, most people regard them as extremely beautiful. They’re also brighter, having more hot young stars, so unless we look really closely we see […]
One Of World’s Biggest Snakes Found Dead In Amazon Just Weeks After Its Discovery
Just weeks after making her public debut, one of the world’s largest snakes – a new species of giant anaconda – has been found dead in the Amazon rainforest. The tragic news was shared earlier this week by Professor Freek Vonk on Instagram, who said: “With enormous pain in my heart I want to let you […]
Can You Help Saguaro National Park Fight The Invasive Stinknet?
The Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona, is asking members of the public to keep an eye out for a new creeping threat in the Sonoran Desert: invasive stinknet. This strongly scented herb is currently blooming across southern Arizona, and park officials want it removed before it sets seed. Stinknet (Oncosiphon pilulifer) is an invasive […]
DoxyPEP: A “Morning After” Pill For STIs Could Be On The Horizon
Preventing the spread of some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) could be as simple as taking a couple of pills. At least, this is a possible scenario if DoxyPEP becomes more widely available worldwide. The treatment uses an antibiotic as a post-exposure prophylaxis – a preventative treatment that can stop the spread of bacterial infection. Research […]
Tapeworms Have Been Upsetting Stomachs For At Least 99 Million Years, First Fossil Suggests
An “exceptional” 99-million-year-old tentacle trapped in amber is the first partial body fossil of a tapeworm ever discovered, suggesting the parasites have been wreaking havoc on intestines since at least the mid-Cretaceous. Despite being found in nearly all marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, tapeworms (Cestoda) are rarely preserved in the geological record. In fact, the […]
Harvard Removes Human Skin From The Binding Of A Book Dating Back To 1880s
A book bound in human skin has been stripped by Harvard University’s Houghton Library following a review prompted by the recommendations put forward in 2022 regarding human remains in museum collections. Harvard Library states the “ethically fraught nature” of the book’s origins and history made it inappropriate for stewardship at the library, and are in […]
Putting Tardigrade Proteins In Human Cells Slows Down Their Metabolism
Imagine being capable of surviving being frozen to almost absolute zero as well as being put in a kitchen oven on the highest setting; going without water and food for decades; being blasted with radiation; and even being exposed to the vacuum of space (and maybe spread to the Moon). No humans can do that, […]
The Next Pandemic May Come Sooner Than You Expect. So What Will It Look Like?
Five years ago, the idea that the whole world could be shut down for weeks on end would be unthinkable. But then, so would the notion of mass graves in New York City, a US Republican government issuing what looked similar to a universal basic income, and a few thousand people poisoning themselves with entirely useless […]
How To Tell If An Egg Is Hard-Boiled Without Opening It
A hard-boiled egg makes for a nutritious snack, but disaster can strike when our timing is off. Boil too long and the yolk looks like a 90s mouse ball, but too little and cracking that baby open is going to make a mess of your worktop and delay snackisfaction. But what if I told you […]
