Last month, a study published in Archaeological Prospection garnered a lot of media attention (including from IFLScience) for its extraordinary claim that a mountain in Indonesia is actually the world’s oldest pyramid built by ancient humans. But reactions from archaeologists since have raised skepticism about its bold conclusions. According to the paper, the Gunung Padang […]
Our Planet Is Getting Saltier And That’s Very Bad News
Our world is becoming increasingly salty and according to a new study, it’s all down to human activity. As a result of this saline shift, the chemistry of our rivers is being radically altered, impacting the quality of our water and affecting human health. The planet has a natural “salt cycle” in which geologic and […]
New Zealand’s Drunkest Bird Is A Gloriously Fat Pigeon
New Zealand’s kererū is a wonderfully round pigeon with beautiful, iridescent plumage, but it is a majestic bird with an unfortunate habit. You see, it has a tendency to get absolutely hammered. The boozy bird’s downfall is its penchant for fruit. Specifically, eating fruit and then sitting in the sun with a crop full of […]
This Meteorite Is Likely The Remains Of An Extinct Ancient Protoplanet
In May 2020, in the Erg Chech region of the Sahara Desert in Algeria, scientists discovered several pieces of meteorite like no other we have found. Earth gets hit by meteorites fairly frequently, with thousands of pieces of space rock falling onto the planet every year, giving us an opportunity to study rock formation in […]
Mali, The “World’s Saddest Elephant”, Has Died
After living almost her entire life alone, Manila Zoo resident Mali the elephant, dubbed by animal welfare organizations as the “world’s saddest elephant”, has died. The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to Manila Zoo Chief Veterinarian Heinrich Patrick Peña-Domingo. Speaking in a press briefing on Wednesday, November 29, he also noted a […]
Yes, There’s A Scientifically “Best” Way To Have A Bath. This Is It
We all love a long, hot soak in the tub to help relieve the stresses of the day. Unfortunately, it turns out the latest thing to add to that stress… might actually be the bath itself. That’s right: according to the internet (which is never wrong), taking a bath is bad for you. Can it […]
Mosasaurus, Pliosaurus, And Predator X: Which Ancient Marine Predator Was The Deadliest?
Ancient marine predators were some of the biggest animals the world’s ever seen, as well as the deadliest. While humans haven’t yet found evidence of an animal that was bigger than the extant blue whale, sea monsters of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ate prey significantly larger than krill, and we have the fossil teeth to […]
Antibiotic Resistance Is A Reality – Here’s How To Stop It
Antibiotics may represent the greatest achievement of modern medicine. Throughout the 20th century, this vital class of drug offered protection from previously lethal infections and transformed the therapeutic landscape. However, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria now threatens their supremacy and represents a critical healthcare challenge for the future. To understand how we can possibly fight […]
Largest Plane Yet Makes Landing On Antarctica’s Blue Ice Runway
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft landed smoothly on an icy runway in a remote part of Antarctica earlier this month, earning the title of the largest plane to ever land on the airstrip near the Norwegian research station Troll. Commissioned by the Norwegian Polar Institute, the giant aircraft set off on its voyage from Cape […]
The Story Behind The “Most Terrifying Photo” Ever Taken In Space
There are a lot of terrifying things you can find in space, from mysterious massive voids 250 to 330 million light-years across, to tiny droplets of water in your space suit which could very easily drown you. But the moniker of the “most terrifying space photo” is generally given to a photo of astronaut Bruce […]
What Was The Lifespan Of A Dinosaur?
This article first appeared in Issue 14 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. Big or small, herbivorous or carnivorous, and whether they died of old age, disease, or predation, do we know what a lifespan looked like for dinosaurs? Advertisement We asked Professor Paul Barrett, head of fossil vertebrates at London’s Natural History Museum, and he […]
The Hidden Dangers Of Eating Burned Toast: What You Need To Know
To whomever it was who first looked at a piece of bread and thought, “hell, let’s cook it again, see what happens,” we salute you. Toast is great: you can slather it with butter and jam, cover it in beans, dip it in eggs, or even make it into its own sandwich, all the while […]
How Humans Could Evolve Into Another New Species
Once upon a time, around 300,000 years ago, numerous human species roamed the Earth. They often crossed paths, intermingled, competed, and almost undoubtedly clashed. Ultimately, just one species prevailed: Homo sapiens. Aside from the odd nuclear threat and global pandemic, this single species has been doing a pretty good job at remaining the planet’s apex […]
Is “Orange Cat Behavior” Actually A Thing?
Delve into the comments of a video of a ginger cat acting a little (or very) silly, and you’re likely to find mentions of “orange cat behavior”, or one solitary orange cat brain cell being shared between them all. Although many of these comments are purely in jest, believe it or not, scientists have actually […]
What Happens To Your Brain Under Sensory Deprivation?
There’s a room in Minnesota that no one has been able to stay in for longer than 45 minutes. It’s so silent inside that the sound level is actually measured in negative units. The anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in Minneapolis is the current Guinness World Record holder for the quietest place on Earth, which […]
The Solar System Vs A Passing Star – What Are The Odds Of Survival?
The Sun and other stars seldom get near each other. It is estimated that a close passage – closer than 15 billion kilometers (9.3 billion miles) – happens once every 100 billion years, which is more than 7 times the current age of the universe. Due to the evolution of the Sun, the Earth has […]
Bhopal Gas Tragedy: The World’s Worst Industrial Disaster Lives On
In 1984, a city in India saw one of the worst-ever industrial accidents on Earth. A pesticide plant in Bhopal spewed over 40 tons of toxic gas into the surrounding city, immediately killing thousands of people and spelling premature death for many thousands more. The tragic disaster is the subject of a new miniseries on […]
Black Holes Could Be Used As Batteries Or Nuclear Reactors
Nothing escapes black holes, but over the decades researchers have worked out ways to get some energy out of them. Some happen naturally, and some energy can be stolen in clever ways. Now, researchers have worked out novel approaches to use black holes as power sources, suggesting that they can be used as either batteries […]
Spermatorrhea: When Male Hysteria Over Seminal Leakage Hit Victorian England
Back in the 1800s, there was hysteria over the disease spermatorrhea – the excessive discharge of sperm caused by illicit or excessive sexual activities – and there were some harsh and extreme “cures” for this affliction. Nowadays, it is fairly unlikely you would hear about this disease – is that because we have cured it? […]
Golden Mole “Lost” Since 1936 Found Swimming Through Sand Dunes In South Africa
Scientists are rejoicing as a species that was believed to be lost for the last 80 years has been rediscovered alive and well. The De Winton’s golden mole was last seen in 1936, but now becomes the 11th of Re:wild’s “most wanted lost species list” to be rediscovered since the Search For Lost Species launched […]
