The waters surrounding Antarctica are the coldest in the world, ranging from a frosty -2°C to a comparatively balmy 10°C (28 to 50°F). That might not sound like an ideal place to make roots, and yet life in the Southern Ocean thrives – but how? Antarctic octopuses (Pareledone) might hold some answers, with researchers having […]
Saturn’s Raviolo Moon Is A Weird, Tiny Little Ring Shepherd
In 1984, a team of astronomers poring through images from NASA’s Voyager spacecraft noticed small undulations in Saturn’s rings. The movement was observed on either side of the Encke Gap, a 325-kilometer (200-mile) wide gap in Saturn’s A ring. To the team who saw the undulations, they implied a moonlet 10 kilometers (6 miles) in […]
Lost 18-Kilometer Maya Road Revealed By Jungle-Piercing Lasers
Jungle-piercing lasers have revealed the lost traces of an 18-kilometer (11-mile) long highway that connected Maya cities over 1,200 years ago. The giant sacbé (white road, in the Mayan language) was recently discovered by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), which used LiDAR-armed drones to cruise over the Puuc region in the state […]
Disappearing Galaxy Reappears And Changes Our Understanding Of Galaxy Evolution
A distant dusty galaxy has been rediscovered by astronomers and its existence – and that of a dozen similar galaxies – is rewriting what we know about these objects in the early universe. Galaxy AzTECC71 is massive, forming a lot of stars, and its light comes to us from just 900 million years after the […]
Elephants Twice The Weight Of Mammoths Were Hunted By Neanderthals 125,000 Years Ago
Neanderthals hunted the largest land animals of their time, giant beasts that weighed twice as much as African elephants – or mammoths, for that matter. The achievement not only shows a level of organization (and courage) previously unconfirmed in our nearest relatives but could have shaped Neanderthal society in Europe between ice ages in a […]
Psychedelic Colors Reveal Hidden Beauty Of Alaska’s Giant Glacier
Psychedelic satellite imagery shows the world’s largest piedmont glacier, located on the southeast edge of Alaska, in all its colossal glory. This vast natural monument may look still and steady, but the images highlight how the ice giant is in a state of flux. As explained by NASA’s Earth Observatory, the image shows Alaska’s Malaspina […]
Is Kiwi Skin Safe To Eat?
The unique skin of kiwi fruit might not be to everyone’s taste, but these coarse hairs, called trichomes, can be very beneficial both to the plant and to your health. The kiwi’s luscious locks work as a defense mechanism to prevent insects from being able to land on the fruit’s uneven surface. It also helps […]
Male Tardigrades Can Find A Mate By Sniffing Them Out
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 […]
