This article first appeared in Issue 15 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. Thousands of seals call Kaikōura, New Zealand, home, but when the winter weather starts to kick in come April, the Ōhau Point Seal Colony’s pups make a unique journey. They swim inland, following a stream to Ōhau Waterfall, which for one to three months […]
Two Golden Tongues Discovered In Mummies Buried In Ancient Egyptian Town
Archaeologists have unearthed two more Egyptian mummies with golden tongues at the ancient town of Oxyrhynchus, around 100 miles from Cairo. This brings the total number of specimens to 16, all of which have been recovered from this site. Oxyrhynchus, otherwise known as the “City of the Sharp-nosed Fish”, has been a veritable treasure trove […]
Humans Now Kill 80 Million Sharks A Year From Fishing – Despite Regulations
A new study of global shark fishing mortality has revealed the true extent of humanity’s negative impact on the oceans: around 80 million sharks die in fisheries each year, despite fishing regulations and bans on finning. Between 2012 and 2019 – during which time there was a tenfold increase in finning legislation – global fishing […]
Do Whales Have Hair?
Marine mammals come in all shapes and sizes, from surfboard-stealing sea otters to giant humpback whales making Fibonacci spirals. However while the former is famously cute and fluffy with thick fur, do whales have hair? We take a closer look at the skin of these ocean giants. Do All Whales Have Hair? The short answer […]
The Big Ring: Huge Celestial Structure Challenges Our Understanding Of The Cosmos
The cosmological principle states that at a large enough scale, the universe is uniform and isotropic. That means that it’s the same everywhere, no matter which direction you are looking at. You should not be seeing a single enormous structure in a particular direction. So imagine finding two in close proximity. Two years ago, researchers […]
Unexplained Gamma-Ray Signal Hints At Unknown Feature Beyond Our Galaxy
Our solar system is not still in space; it moves around the galaxy at 370 kilometers per second (230 miles per second). This means that part of the universe looks like it is coming towards us, while the opposite side moves away from us. This effect is seen, for example, in the Cosmic Microwave Background […]
The US Could Have Thousands Of Ghost Cities By 2100
By 2100, the US could be scattered with thousands of ghost towns. That’s according to new research by the University of Illinois that’s suggested almost half of the nearly 30,000 cities in the US will face depopulation by the end of this century. These impacted cities are estimated to experience depopulation of 12 to 23 […]
Desire Leaves A Chemical Mark On The Brain, And Scientists Just Found It
Compare these two scenarios: meeting your significant other for a romantic dinner, or going for an after-work coffee with that guy you barely know from HR. We’ll bet one of these sounds a lot more appealing than the other, right? Scientists have just cracked the code for why we crave spending time with some people […]
What Is Mach 1 and Why Does It Matter?
Mach numbers compare the flow velocity of a fluid past a boundary to the speed of sound. Crucially, however, there is no universal speed of sound. Instead, sound travels at different rates depending on the medium the sound is travelling in and the temperature. Consequently, Mach 1 is equal to the local speed of sound, […]
Incredible Close-Up Image Of Jupiter’s Swirling Clouds Looks Too Pretty To Be Real
A photo of Jupiter that has been claimed to be the “closest ever taken” of Jupiter is doing the rounds on Facebook and Twitter. It’s not clear where the claim that it is the closest ever taken comes from. The image of the planet was taken by Junocam during perijove 26, according to the SETI […]
Breakthrough Embryo Test Could Improve The Odds For Thousands Undergoing IVF
A new, noninvasive test to check the quality of embryos could make a huge difference to people undergoing fertility treatment. Right now, one of the big barriers to success in in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is that it’s difficult to know the best embryos to choose, but this new test could make that much easier. “Unfortunately, IVF […]
2,500-Year-Old Long-Lost Metropolis Found In The Amazon Jungle
Jungle-piercing lasers have revealed the ruins of even more ancient cities hiding in the Amazon. Located in the Upano Valley of Ecuador, this sprawling network of long-lost settlements shows how South America was rich in highly complex human culture long, long before Christopher Columbus arrived on their shores. The vast urban settlements were recently uncovered […]
First Model Eye Membrane Makes Human “Tears In A Dish” And Reveals Surprise Cell
Researchers have developed the first organoid model of the human conjunctiva, a 3D culture of cells mimicking the actual tissue, which is involved in tear production. And as if that wasn’t cool enough, it also helped them to discover a cell type never before described in this tissue. The conjunctiva is an important part of […]
Sneaky Bird Escapes Zoo, Now On The Lam Despite Being A Literal Rainbow
One sneaky bird escaped from Colchester Zoo in the UK last week by hitching a ride on an unsuspecting visitor. The bird in question is a rainbow lorikeet, and is pretty much the least inconspicuous escapee possible as its brightly colored feathers don’t exactly fly under the radar. Despite this obvious disadvantage, it’s been on […]
First Prehistoric Person With Missing X Chromosomes Identified From Ancient DNA
Using a new technique that makes it easier to precisely measure the number of chromosomes in ancient DNA, researchers have identified the earliest known cases of two genetic disorders. Ancient DNA can provide us with useful insights into our ancestors, but unfortunately, samples can degrade or become contaminated over time, making it more difficult to […]
The US Just Grew By 1 Million Square Kilometers, NASA Finally Gain Access To Bennu Asteroid Sample, And Much More This Week
This week the fossilized skin of a reptile that existed 45 million years before the earliest known dinosaur has been discovered, Jupiter has been discovered to have magnetic jets, and giant 10-foot-tall apes once roamed China. Finally, we investigate why 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter […]
“The Great Dimming”: In 2022, One Of The Largest Stars In The Galaxy Started Acting Strangely
In 2022, an enormous star 16,000 light-years from Earth began mysteriously dimming. After follow-up observations in 2023, a team of astronomers believe they have an explanation. When they aren’t creating green monsters or mysteriously vanishing without a trace, stars are generally pretty reliable constants in the sky. With lifespans of billions of years, you can […]
US Federal Judge Signs Off On First-Ever Use Of New Execution Method
A US district judge has given the green light for the first-ever execution by nitrogen gas asphyxiation to go ahead. The ruling means that Alabama inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith is currently scheduled to be put to death using the new method on January 25, although his attorney has launched an appeal against the decision. Smith’s […]
The World’s Most Powerful Passports Ranked In 2024
Many of us take our passports for granted, but not all are created equal – some will get you into more places than others. But in the first set of rankings for 2024, it turns out there’s not just one that sits atop the rest: there are six. Those with a passport from France, Germany, […]
Drone Footage Reveals Humpback Whale With A Back Injury Off The Coast Of Mexico
Human and animal conflict is a touchy subject for many species, whether it is related to loss of habitat, or even the question of whether you should let a moose lick your car. One other aspect of human-animal conflict is the problem of boat strikes, which can injure and even kill many marine species each […]
