Imagine a steamy sex scene involving a woman and a man from your favourite television show or movie. It’s likely that both parties orgasm. But this doesn’t reflect reality. Because during heterosexual sexual encounters, women have far fewer orgasms than men. This is called the orgasm gap. And it has been documented in the scientific […]
People Are Just Now Learning What Screensavers Are For
Everyone of a certain age has a favorite screensaver, from that one where the blobs bounce against the screen getting closer and closer to hitting the corner, to that one with slightly different blobs doing exactly the same thing. They are still used today, but unlike old blobby and the squiggly line that wriggles around, […]
Trying To Live Forever Killed The Creator Of China’s “Forever Army”
The pursuit of immortality and reverse aging is hot in the press right now, so we thought it was time for a reminder that sometimes, trying to live forever can stop you from living at all. While extremes in health regimens can disrupt your dating life, there’s also the risk that your “cure” for long […]
Russia Reaches Lunar Orbit And Is Now On Track To Beat India To The Moon
We find ourselves back in a space race, with the goal once again the Moon. We’re not talking about the larger space race involving the US, Russia, and China, however, but a much more immediate one that could result in Russia beating India to the Moon’s South Pole next week by a mere two days. […]
Cherenkov Light Seen For The First Time In Nuclear Fusion Setup
Nuclear fusion company SHINE has reported the first-ever observations of Cherenkov light during a fusion reaction, visual evidence that a reaction was taking place. This phenomenon is more commonly seen in traditional nuclear fission power plants and produces a pretty, blue-violet light. The closest analogy to explain this phenomenon is sound. When an object, from […]
We Now Know What Enabled Sex Between Neanderthals And Denisovans
Changes in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun hundreds of thousands of years ago allowed Neanderthals and Denisovans to mate with one another, new research has revealed. According to the study authors, these alterations in our cosmic trajectory facilitated major climate shifts on the ground, enabling our ancient relatives to expand their habitats and rendezvous […]
Ötzi The Iceman Mummy Was Bald And Had Surprisingly Dark Skin
A fresh genetic analysis has revealed more of the story behind Ötzi the Iceman, a remarkably well preserved human who perished in the Italian Alps around 5,300 years ago. As it turns out, the unfortunate mummy was closely related to the early farmers from Anatolia in modern-day Turkey who migrated here. Furthermore, his skin was […]
You’ve Been Tying Your Shoes Wrong Your Whole Life
Good news everyone, you’ve probably been tying your shoes wrong most of your life, and before that the only reason you weren’t tying them wrong was because you were in Velcro. The method a lot of us use, once you’ve progressed from bunny ears, is the system of creating a loop with one lace, then […]
Why Does This Pattern Keep Showing Up In Different Cultures Throughout History?
Back in 1973, British mathematical physicist Roger Penrose described “Penrose tiles,” two shapes that can be placed together in a neverending, non-repeating pattern. Not only did it look pretty, it challenged some of the conventional ideas around symmetry and periodicity. It was thought to be groundbreaking – and in most respects, it was – but […]
Speed Limit Of Black Holes Recoiling From A Merger Estimated For First Time
Thanks to gravitational wave observatories, we know that when two black holes merge, they create a third black hole. The final black hole is slightly less massive than the sum of its parents, as some energy has been lost as gravitational waves. This final black hole is also kicked away from its birthplace by the […]
The 14-Year Experiment To Check The Laws Of Physics Aren’t Changing
If there’s one thing you can rely on in life, it’s the laws of physics. Things in your life may change, friends come and go, but there are the laws of physics day in, day out, tirelessly keeping you from floating away into space like you’ve sampled the wrong chocolate at Willy Wonka’s suspiciously high-fatality […]
Scientists Are Hunting For Cosmic Dust On The Roof Of Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian buildings in England. It’s the site of the assassination of archbishop Thomas Becket and the destination of the pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. A pair of scientists saw something extra about this historic building. It has a large old roof – the perfect […]
We Just Found Out Great White Sharks Might Have Best Friends
Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are famously solitary, highly adapted predators that take the blame for all manner of scary movie characteristics. However research has revealed that these giants of the ocean may have a softer side and even form close social bonds – shark BFFs, anyone? Researchers studying shark behavior have made an unusual […]
Antarctic’s Hole In The Ozone Layer Has Opened Early, Sparking Worry
The hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is strangely large for this time of year, prompting fears that it could lead to further warming of the South Pole. Oddly enough, it looks like this is a consequence of water vapor that ended up in Earth’s stratosphere following the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai eruption, the […]
Toad Vs Frog: Do You Know The Difference?
When it comes to amphibians from fairy tales there are really only two options and whether you’re after Prince Charming or something to put in a witches cauldron we’ve got the reality check when it comes to telling the difference between frogs and toads. Frog and toad characteristics First, let’s look at their skin. Frogs […]
Ignaz Semmelweis And The Controversial Crusade For Washing Hands
In the history of medicine, there is one story that is a fantastic example of how observation and experimentation can lead to significant changes and discoveries. The same story, however, is also an extreme example of how some scientific ideas can nevertheless be dismissed in favor of tradition. During the 1840s, at the Vienna General […]
War Elephants Led To An Embarrassing Death For Pyrrhus, King Of Epirus
A Pyrrhic victory means winning at such a great cost, it almost amounts to a defeat. Highly relatable to anyone who’s ever tried to “win” at an all-you-can-eat buffet, and a lesson that Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, learned the hard way when he went to war with elephants. The first time Romans saw an elephant […]
Why Is The Greenwich Meridian Not Where It Should Be?
Greenwich is home to the Prime Meridian, but just visiting the world famous Royal Observatory won’t actually make you cross from one hemisphere to the other. That’s because the actual zero meridian is now a little bit off from where it was established: 102.5 meters (334 feet). You can blame improvements in technology and science […]
70-Million-Year-Old “Dinosaur Coliseum” Is A Vertical Lasagne Of Footprints
Alaska’s largest dinosaur track site has been discovered in Denali National Park, and researchers are calling it a “dinosaur coliseum”. If the epic nickname isn’t enough to convince you that this is a big deal, a new study has described how the coliseum contains a record number of species’ footprints across many generations in the […]
Can Domestic Dogs Breed With Wolves?
The pet dog lounging on your sofa and the feral wolf roaming the harsh wilderness share some clear differences – as well as some very significant similarities. Given their proximity in the family tree, it is possible for domestic dogs to breed with a number of wolf species, including gray wolves, eastern wolves, red wolves, […]
