Deborah Bloomfield

Researchers have built nanowires with a precise 1:2:2 ratio of ytterbium, rhodium, and silicon (YbRh2Si2) in a peculiar phase of matter. This phase is called “strange metal“, and true to its name the quantum material is exhibiting behaviors that have challenged expectations. One of these is that electricity in this material does not move as […]

Nestled beneath the tranquil surface of Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province, China, lies a submerged world frozen in time – the ancient city of Shicheng, a 600-year-old remnant from China’s Imperial past.  Often referred to as the “Lion City” (due to its proximity to the nearby Wu Shi Mountain, or “Five Lion Mountain”), conflicting reports […]

The world’s first all-electric hydrofoil passenger boat has cruised through its “test flight” in Sweden and is now set for serial production at a factory near Stockholm. Designed by Swedish tech company Candela Technology AB, the Candela P-12 can travel at 30 knots, a record for electric passenger vessels, with a range of up to […]

New Zealand has scrapped its historic world-first generational smoking ban to help pay for tax cuts. Needless to say, health experts are not impressed.  In 2022, New Zealand’s previous administration under Jacinda Ardern passed pioneering legislation that would have prevented anyone born after January 2009 from purchasing tobacco products for the entirety of their lives. […]

Stubbing your toe is the perfect example of disproportionate pain. As your pinky collides with the unforgiving corner of your coffee table, it can feel as if your phalanx has just erupted through the skin of your toe, and yet five minutes later it’s basically fine. Given the intensity of feeling from such a minor […]

There’s another dietary fad in town, coming soon to a social media platform near you – unless, that is, the algorithm gods have already gifted you with videos of people chowing down on sticks of straight butter. To the uninitiated, this one’s difficult to comprehend. If you’re anything like us, biting into a hunk of […]

Although messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines had been in research and development for many years, the search for a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 brought them to the forefront. However, alongside the approval of mRNA vaccines against the virus came a slew of misinformation about their capabilities – namely, the claim that mRNA in the vaccines could alter […]

Aurorae, both northern and southern lights, are spectacular celestial phenomena, the complex interaction between our planet’s magnetic field, the atmosphere, and the stream of particles that fly off from the Sun. The end product is magnificent, with colorful curtains that extend high into space. Sometimes, they can appear orange – but are they really this […]

The small group of paleontologists that argue an outburst of volcanic activity rather than a massive asteroid impact was the underlying cause of the mass extinction that wiped out the largest animals to walk the Earth has received some inhuman support for their position. Others, however, argue that the way you phrase the question can […]

In 1905, the remains of mummified baboons were discovered in Egypt, sparking over a century of speculation as to how they came to be so far from home. Now, in a study that marries biology and history to answer questions surrounding the origin of these ancient interlopers, we finally have some idea of where they […]

Have you ever wondered whether our long-extinct ancestors were capable of speaking like us? Well, recent research has shown that Neanderthals were in fact able to both perceive and produce human speech.  The study was published in 2021 and was conducted by an international multidisciplinary team that investigated the evolution of language and linguistic capacities […]

Rhinos are having something of a moment, from ambitious plans to rewild them across Africa, to cutting-edge technology bringing back ancient species DNA. Rhino calves are also popping up in the UK, and now the Sumatran rhinos are joining in with the birth of a new calf.  At the Sumatran Rhino Reserve, Way Kambas National […]

The skincare habits of a pod of orcas have been captured in world-first footage of a rare behavior. Filmed as part of National Geographic WILD’s new series Incredible Animal Journeys, the clip shows the animals using the rough surface of icebergs as a way to exfoliate irritants. Does skincare get any fresher? The behavior appears […]

High up on the freezing Tibetan plateau, a pair of prehistoric hominid children created the world’s earliest rock art when they intentionally left their hand and footprints on a soft limestone wall about 200,000 years ago. At least, that’s the narrative that archaeologists proposed back in 2021, although a new analysis challenges this account and […]

A variant of the flu strain H1N2, similar to one that’s currently currently circulating in pigs, has been detected in a human for the first time in the UK.  The case of influenza A(H1N2)v was recently detected as part of routine national flu surveillance after an individual visited the doctor with respiratory systems, the UK […]

This month, conservationists at Chester Zoo, UK were thrilled to hear the pitter-patter of tiny rhino toes as an incredibly rare, critically endangered new arrival was safely born – and they captured it all on camera.  New mum Zuri, an eastern black rhino, gave birth to a female calf on November 12 following a 15-month […]

An astrophotographer has found a patch of oxygen he’s named the Phantom Stinger Nebula, which appears to have been overlooked by generations of astronomers, amateur and professional alike. The discovery is part of a project by amateurs to explore the sky at a wavelength professional observatories are arguably neglecting – the 495.9-500.7 nanometer band where […]

The Dark Ages has a bad reputation. In fact, it’s possibly the only period of history literally named after its bad reputation: the title, as we all learn in school, is a reference to the idea that, after the Roman Empire fell in the West, everyone spent the next few centuries in the metaphorical dark […]

Issue 17 (December 2023) of CURIOUS is out now, bringing you science highlights for the month plus deep dives into intriguing topics, interviews, exclusives, diary dates, and explanations for some of Earth’s most perplexing natural phenomena and landscapes. In This Issue… Advertisement OUR COVER STORY: Are No Two Snowflakes Alike? Snow crystal development is complex […]

The Fermi Paradox puts forward the following puzzling question, if humans are not special and civilizations can rise commonly in the cosmos, why are we yet to find anybody else?  A science paper has a bold answer. Even if there are tens of thousands of civilizations out there, they need to survive for thousands of […]