Forget flowers and chocolates, a hand-written poem, or an elaborate home-cooked meal – when it comes to tardigrades, it appears that romance is as simple as a scent. Researchers have uncovered the first evidence that everyone’s favorite chubby microscopic critters use waterborne chemical cues to attract and find mates. Although tardigrades get up to some […]
Astronaut Catches “Transient Luminous Event” High Above The Earth
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen has captured a new image of a red sprite, a rare type of electrical discharge rarely seen from Earth. As part of the Thor-Davis experiment, Danish astronaut Mogensen heads to the International Space Station’s (ISS) Cupola observatory module every Saturday to attempt to photograph storms from above. In […]
Colossal Prehistoric Tomb Was “Greatest Engineering Feat” Of The Stone Age
An enormous burial mound in southern Spain has been hailed as one of the most impressive structures of the Neolithic period following a new examination of its humongous features. Known as the Menga dolmen, the incredible monument is thought to have been built around 5,700 years ago and contains the skeletons of several hundred ancient […]
Large Hole In The Sun’s Atmosphere Sends High-Speed Solar Wind Toward Earth
A high-speed stream of solar wind from a large coronal hole is expected to cause moderate geomagnetic storms over the next few days. The sunspot, captured in a video by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) between December 2-4, 2023, is large, but of no major concern. Though a little unsettling in appearance, sunspots look like […]
Weight Loss Drug Could Also Help Treat Alcohol Use Disorder
Semaglutide, otherwise known as Wegovy or Ozempic, may not only help people to lose weight or manage their diabetes, but could also benefit those with alcohol use disorder (AUD), new research suggests. The small study, involving just six patients, marks the first published evidence in humans that the drug specifically mitigates the symptoms of AUD. […]
Meet Bowie, The Super Rare Half-Male, Half-Female, Half-Blue, Half-Orange Lobster
Bowie might just be the rarest lobster in the North Atlantic, if not the world. This special specimen is split directly down the middle, with its left side being a vibrant blue color and its right being a typical orange color. Not only that, but it’s also an example of a bilateral gynandromorph: half-female and […]
Identical Twins Study Reveals Something We All Secretly Knew About Vegan Diets
It’s often said there are no quick fixes when it comes to our health. A new study out of Stanford, however, has shown that to be false – at least, if we’re talking about our hearts. “Our study… suggests that anyone who chooses a vegan diet can improve their long-term health in two months,” senior […]
Do We Live In A Giant Void? It Could Solve The Puzzle Of The Universe’s Expansion
One of the biggest mysteries in cosmology is the rate at which the universe is expanding. This can be predicted using the standard model of cosmology, also known as Lambda-cold dark matter (ΛCDM). This model is based on detailed observations of the light left over from the Big Bang – the so-called cosmic microwave background […]
Why Are Whales Making A Fashion Out Of Seaweed Hats?
Marine mammals are known for their high levels of intelligence, their social skills, and their association with Netflix documentaries. However, most people probably wouldn’t list skincare as one of a whale’s most famous activities – and that’s where they’d be wrong. While orcas and humpback whales have been filmed enjoying a spa day, now they’ve got […]
Banyan Trees: The Ancient “Walking” Tree You’ve Never Heard Of
In the forest of the Indian Subcontinent, an extraordinary phenomenon is said to occur – trees “walk”. Specifically, Banyan trees, which are sacred in Hinduism, expand their footprints by sending out roots that grow their own branches. These roots are flexible and can “crawl” in ways that allow them to reposition for optimal sunlight and […]
Earth’s Magnetic Field Shields Life On Earth, But It Can Move And Even Flip
The Earth’s magnetic field plays a big role in protecting people from hazardous radiation and geomagnetic activity that could affect satellite communication and the operation of power grids. And it moves. Scientists have studied and tracked the motion of the magnetic poles for centuries. The historical movement of these poles indicates a change in the […]
This “Sailor’s Eyeball” Blob Is One Of The Largest Single-Celled Organisms On Earth
There are sailors’ eyeballs to be found at sea, that is, if you know where to look. Fortunately not the result of any gouging injuries, these curious blobs are a type of algae called Valonia ventricosa, and they’re one of the largest single-celled organisms on Earth. The size of sailor’s eyeballs can vary from a […]
Is There A Difference Between The Male And Female Brain?
This article first appeared in Issue 14 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. The question of whether there’s a tangible difference between male and female brains is one of the most compelling – and controversial – in the history of neuroscience. On reading the title of this article, you might have immediately rolled your eyes: “What’s […]
Can We Learn To Be Happier?
This article first appeared in Issue 14 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. It’s the best thing in the world and the one thing we all want more of. Thankfully, you don’t have to be rich, beautiful, or even particularly cool to get it. Elusive though it may seem, happiness is in fact a skill that […]
This 25,000-Year-Old “Pyramid” Was Likely Not Built By Humans, Life-Extending Drug For Big Dogs Gets Closer To FDA Approval, And Much More This Week
This week 170-year-old champagne found on a shipwreck is the oldest ever tasted, for the first time in 50 years, the US plans to land on the moon next month, and a discovery of ancient Egyptian waterways hints at how the pyramids may have been built. Finally, we explore if humans will settle in space […]
How Long Does Cannabis Stay In Your System? Over 300 Years, Apparently
Researchers have discovered the first archaeological evidence that cannabis’s psychoactive compounds can stay in our bones long after we have died. This evidence comes from the skeletal remains of people the 17th century. The authors of a new study were originally looking for signs of the administration of medicinal and “recreative plants” in the population […]
Rocky Planets Can Form Even In The Most Extreme Environments
Over the last few decades, astronomers have discovered that planets are extremely common. Now they are focusing on better understanding how they form. And there have been some curveballs, delivering completely unexpected insights. Among the latest ones, researchers discovered that even around the hotter stars, you can find the building blocks of rocky planets. This […]
Whales Indulge In Seaweed Face Masks For Playtime And Skin Treatment
Marine mammals are known for their high levels of intelligence, their social skills, and their association with Netflix documentaries. However, most people probably wouldn’t list skincare as one of a whale’s most famous activities – and that’s where they’d be wrong. While orcas and humpback whales have been filmed enjoying a spa day, now they’ve got […]
Weird Buried Polygonal Structures Found On Mars By Chinese Rover
Chinese rover Zhurong was the first Chinese mission to land on Mars, exploring one of the Red Planet’s largest impact basins: Utopia Planitia. This area was visited by Viking 2 in 1976 and decades of technological advancement meant that Zhurong could deliver new insights on the region. And some of them came from below the […]
Did A Giant “Terrible Beast” Fossil Inspire The Cyclops?
Between 20 and 2 million years ago, a giant “terrible beast” roamed the Earth. Known to science as Deinotherium giganteum, it belonged to the same order as elephants living today – but it’s been suggested that its fossilized remains may have once been confused for the Cyclops, giving rise to the legend. The word “cyclops” […]
