Physicists have long struggled to explain why the universe started out with conditions suitable for life to evolve. Why do the physical laws and constants take the very specific values that allow stars, planets and ultimately life to develop? The expansive force of the universe, dark energy, for example, is much weaker than theory suggests […]
World’s Oldest Living Land Animal, Jonathan The Tortoise, Celebrates 191st Birthday
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Jonathan the 191-year-old tortoise, happy birthday to you! The world’s oldest living land animal, a Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa) named Jonathan, who has captured hearts across the world with his longevity and antics, has reached the grand old age of 191. In […]
75-Million-Year-Old Fossil Is First-Ever Tyrannosaur Found With Stomach Contents
The last meal of a Tyrannosaur has been discovered for the first time in a fossil that shows a juvenile Gorgosaurus with its stomach contents in situ. The picky eater only ate the legs of two small feathered dinosaurs that were likely a popular and abundant menu item around 75 million years ago, and the species […]
Early Humans Hunted And Ate Beavers 400,000 Years Ago
Although pork and beef are some of the most popular meats for modern humans, it’s easy to wonder if the same could be said when we couldn’t just pop to the supermarket to pick them up. Researchers previously thought that humans in the Middle Pleistocene stuck to hunting and eating large mammals – but a […]
What Do Meteors’ Colors Tell Us?
Seeing a meteor is always an exciting experience, partly because each one is different. Faint “shooting stars” seldom have an identifiable shade – but seeing a deeply colored flash adds something extra to the good fortune of seeing a meteor that can compete with the brightest stars. If you are lucky enough to experience a […]
Honey-Hunting Birds And Humans Work Together And Know Each Other’s Calls
While working on group projects might be the bane of every college student’s life, new research has shown that sometimes, groups can work together successfully. Greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator), a small species of African bird, are known to guide both honey badgers and humans to beehives. By studying these human-bird interactions, researchers have shown that […]
A Guy Tried To Make A Toaster From Scratch And It Failed Beautifully
Humans of the industrialized world don’t realize how easy they have it. Sure, there’s glaring wealth disparity, rampant heart disease, prolific depression, and a ravaged ecosystem, but you know how fortunate you are to purchase a new electric toaster for just a few dollars? While studying at London’s Royal College of Art, Thomas Thwaites set […]
Kizil Caves – China’s Ancient Buddhist Legacy Is An Architectural Time Capsule
Nestled along the northern Silk Road in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region stands a beautiful testament to China’s ancient Buddhist past – the Kizil Caves. Carved into the face of the ochre-hued cliffs of the Flaming Mountains, the caves are an archaeological treasure that beckons history enthusiasts and the spiritually minded alike. China’s oldest Buddhist […]
Why Are Human Babies So Rubbish? They’re Not, Posits New Study
Watch any nature documentary, and something becomes quickly obvious: human babies are… kind of rubbish. Giraffes, for example, can stand up within an hour of being born – it takes humans the best part of a year to do the same – while your pet kitty is basically a teenager by the time it’s six […]
The “God Flower” Is Disappearing And Folks Are Blaming Climate Change
A gorgeously garish species of orchid, known to the Indigenous Tsou people as the “God Flower”, is rapidly disappearing from the mountainous wildlands of Taiwan. Just like the plight of countless other flowering plants around the world, some suspect that climate change is the prime suspect. Also known as the Dendrobium orchid or golden grass […]
The Secret To A Long Life? Clams Could Hold The Key
Could clams be holding the secret to a longer life? One team of researchers from Bologna believe so – but probably not in the way you think. Humans are living longer than ever before, with the average life expectancy worldwide increasing by no less than two decades in the past 60 years alone. But we’re […]
You Won’t Need A Telescope To See Next Week’s Rare Occultation Of Betelgeuse
If you live in a long but narrow part of the world, you have an opportunity this month to contribute to a global project exploring one of the most famous and enigmatic stars. That’s because on December 12, on a path running almost half the way around the planet, the asteroid 319 Leona will pass […]
One Man’s Six-Month Journey For A $1,500 Homemade Sandwich Ends In Disappointment
How much would you spend on a chicken sandwich? $5? $10? What about $1,500? Sounds like a lot for a sandwich, and the deal gets even less sweet when you find out it takes six months to make it from scratch. The sandwich was the passion project of Andy George, host of How To Make […]
Africa Is Tearing Into Two Continents And A New Ocean Could Eventually Open Up
Africa is slowly but surely splitting in two. Like anything in geology, it’s an extremely long process that will take millions upon millions of years, but it will eventually see part of East Africa chip off from the rest of the continent, likely resulting in a new ocean arising between the two land masses. The […]
8,000-Year-Old Fortress Discovered In Siberia Is World’s Oldest
Ancient hunter-gatherers in Siberia’s Lower Ob’ region may have built the world’s very first fortress on the banks of a river. Whether these prehistoric communities constructed their fort for protection or to stake a claim to premier fishing territory is unclear, although radiocarbon dating conducted at the site reveals that it was erected an incredible […]
Something Concerning Is Happening To The Sea Near Bermuda
Some concerning changes are impacting the waters around Bermuda. After 40 years of tracking, scientists have noticed that the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the archipelago is warming and losing oxygen, as well as becoming increasingly salty and acidic. Researchers have been keeping track of the water around Bermuda since 1983, taking monthly samples to assess the […]
We Now Know How Our Ancient Ancestors Traveled From Africa
We know that, around 2.1 million years ago, Homo erectus, the first humans, migrated out of Africa. But how did they make this epic journey across territory that is covered in expansive desert? For a long time, researchers have puzzled over how H. erectus managed to cross through northeastern Africa and the Middle East, to […]
Why Are People Talking About A Redesign Of The COVID-19 Vaccines?
A new discovery about the Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology behind some of the most widely used COVID-19 vaccines has led scientists to look again at the vaccines’ design. By making a small tweak, the study team hopes to improve future mRNA therapeutics – but the announcement has left some feeling concerned about the reports of […]
Woman Injured By Concealed Gun During MRI Scan, Fossil Plant Turns Out To Be A Tiny Baby Turtle, And Much More This Week
This week naturally occurring magnetic monopoles were measured for the first time, a study of identical twins reveals the health benefits of a vegan diet, and we may know less about El Niño than previously thought. Finally, we investigate the theories surrounding the inception of the QWERTY keyboard. Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter for all […]
Hangxiety: Why Might You Feel Anxious After Drinking Alcohol?
Do you ever wake up after a night on the booze, heart pounding, with the feeling that the world is ending and everyone hates you? If you’re someone who experiences hangover-related anxiety (often nicknamed hangxiety or beer fear), you’re probably keen to know why this happens. So, let’s break down the science. How alcohol affects […]
