Pain might be the first thing you associate with a shock from an electric eel, but it turns out there could be more to it than that. A new study has found that electric eels can discharge enough electricity that nearby fish larvae can end up with genetic modifications. This is thought to be the […]
Crater Of Diamonds State Park Is One Of The World’s Only Public Diamond Mines
The Crater Of Diamonds State Park is a treasure trove of diamonds that were forged by geologic and volcanic activity that shaped the region around 3 billion years ago. Having formed deep below the Earth’s crust, they were explosively forced to the surface and now can be found by, well, just about anyone. Don’t believe […]
The “Age Of Snakes” – How Dinosaur Mass Extinction Let Snakes Feast On New Diverse Diets
Whether they give you the ick or not, snakes are amazing animals. Not only is their physiology something to marvel at, but their sheer diversity is incredible. There are nearly 4,000 species of different snakes on the planet, which accounts for over 10 percent of terrestrial vertebrates. Their evolution has given rise to an enormous […]
The Likely Site Of Earth’s Most Recent Large Impact Crater Has Been Found
Planetary scientists have released evidence they claim establishes the location where an asteroid hit the Earth three-quarters of a million years ago. Although evidence for the size and timing of the event has been found far and wide, it’s been a long road to identify the likely crater in southern Laos. Southeast Asia, and even […]
What Can Someone Do With Your DNA Sequence?
With the recent news that hackers stole data from around 6.9 million users of the genetic testing company 23andMe, it’s understandable that some might have concerns as to what someone could do with that information. Whilst no DNA records were reported stolen, it does beg the question of the potential consequences if they had been. […]
What Do We Know About El Niño? Maybe Less Than We Thought
As Sun Tzu said, you should know your enemy – and there aren’t many more formidable foes than El Niño, the sort-of random climate phenomenon that can devastate everything from natural wonders like marine biodiversity to made-up human concepts like “the economy”. Unfortunately, our knowledge of this weather pattern has always been spotty at best: […]
Christmas Tree Syndrome: Festive Decorations Could Leave You Feeling Sick This Holiday
Tis the season to deck the halls in lights, bells, and festive decorations. If you suddenly catch yourself feeling under the weather with a stuffy runny nose and scratchy throat, it might not necessarily be a seasonal cold just in time for the holiday season – there’s a good chance it could be Christmas tree […]
Carrington Event-Sized Solar Storms Are More Common Than We Thought
As the Sun approaches the solar maximum – the height of its activity during its 11-year cycle – two studies have come out suggesting that we do not currently have the systems in place to study solar storms properly, or ones that large Solar storms are a pretty common occurrence – a moderate storm was […]
Pioneering Brain Implant Restores Patients’ Cognitive Function Years After Traumatic Brain Injury
A brain implant that could help restore cognitive function after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been shown to be safe in a small clinical trial. The treatment delivers stimulation to key circuits deep within the brain, and produced promising results for the five participants in the trial without any serious side-effects. According to the […]
Blood Carbon: The Darker Side Of Solving Climate Change
With COP28 underway, campaigners have a message for wide-eyed observers: beware of “Blood Carbon”. The warning relates to carbon credits, which they believe are muddying the issue rather than seriously addressing the real causes of the deepening climate crisis. World leaders, big business, and the media have flocked to Dubai this week for the COP28 […]
Super Rare Pregnant Megamouth Shark Washes Up In The Philippines
There’s a lot we don’t know about life in the oceans of our planet. Rare species inhabit deep waters and new areas are discovered all the time, but sometimes, the only clues for understanding what lies beneath the waves are when they wash up on our shores. In the Dipaculao, Aurora region of the Philippines, […]
What Might Your Taste In Music Say About Your Moral Compass?
Music plays an important role in our lives, but have you ever wondered what your musical tastes say about you? Well, new research has suggested a potential link between the music we listen to and our moral compass. Music is one of the most fundamental forms of expression. As Victor Hugo, the French politician and […]
The Earth Isn’t Perfectly Round – Here’s Why
The Earth isn’t perfectly round IT’S FLAT. Ok not really, but it isn’t as perfectly round as you’d expect from lessons in primary school or glancing briefly at a globe, either. First of all, why are planets round(ish)? This one is relatively simple: our old friend (and dastardly nemesis) gravity is the culprit. Planets are […]
Nearly 1,000 Birds Died Crashing Into Brightly Lit Building In Chicago
Glaring artificial lights caused the death of nearly 1,000 birds after they accidentally slammed into a brightly lit building in Chicago. These types of accidents are becoming increasingly common and it’s leaving scientists to wonder whether we need to seriously reconsider our relationship with artificial lighting. Some 960 migratory birds were recovered from the land […]
Mice Have Passed The Mirror Test, Suggesting They Might Have Self-Recognition
Originally developed as a test of consciousness in different species, the mirror test has since become an indicator that a creature recognizes its reflection as itself. Now, researchers have potentially welcomed a new member to the self-recognition club: mice. Placing a dollop of black or white ink on the foreheads of black-furred mice, a team […]
How The Building Blocks Of Life Survived Early Earth’s Extreme Radiation
A model for a predecessor of life can protect proteins against radiation when it includes manganese ions –without these ions, the radiation degrades any life-forming potential. Although there is no proof that actual predecessors of life had this form of protection, the findings from this model provide the first possible explanation for how this specific […]
Face Of Pre-Columbian Person With Rare Skull Deformity Recreated
Researchers have reconstructed the face of an unknown pre-Hispanic individual from Bolivia who had a rare congenital defect known as craniosynostosis. Affecting the formation and fusion of cranial bones, the condition causes the skull to become misshapen and often leads to cognitive deficits, impaired vision, and other debilitating symptoms. The ancient Andean face was recreated […]
The Life And Death Cycle You Probably Know Nothing About
Ever heard of the Krebs cycle? How about the citric acid or tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle? If the answer’s no, you’re not on your own. The process is essential for keeping us, and all other aerobic organisms, alive, and yet relatively few of us actually know the ins and outs of what it is and […]
Bold New Theory Seeks To Unify Einstein’s Relativity And Quantum Mechanics
Over a century ago, two theories were put forward to explain all of reality: quantum mechanics and general relativity. Both have been refined and improved over decades and extensively tested. They are solid theories. But ultimately, alone, they can’t explain everything – and together they don’t seem to work. For decades, physicists have been looking […]
Mummified Frogs Were Buried With The Ancient Egyptians 3,000 Years Ago
It’s fair to say that the Ancient Egyptians subscribed to a lot of ideas that seem strange in the modern era. There’s not an internet-friendly word count in the world that could cover all of them in one fell swoop, so today we’re focusing on mummified frogs. Mummified frogs have been found in the tombs […]
