Over the last decade or so, the concept of time crystals has gone from an intriguing hypothesis to an experimental reality. These peculiar states have been observed in a variety of systems, including a children’s toy. Now, scientists have reported that they have been able to construct one using a very peculiar state of matter: […]
Prehistoric Humans Began Eating Tubers 700,000 Years Before Our Teeth Evolved To Do So
Around 2.3 million years ago, ancient human species such as Homo rudolfensis and Homo erectus suddenly changed their diets. Using their large brains, these extinct hominins manufactured digging tools that they used to access carbohydrate-rich tubers, bulbs, and corms, despite the fact their teeth were unsuited to chewing these starchy plant fibers. By analyzing the […]
The World’s Oldest Wild Bird “Surprised” Everyone With A Hatched Chick At 74
The oldest known wild bird, an albatross named Wisdom, laid an egg at the remarkable age of 74 last year, after pairing with a new mate. Wisdom was first identified and banded by biologists after she laid an egg at Midway Atoll in 1956. As albatrosses do not lay eggs before the age of five, […]
“Spectacular” New Species Of 40cm Giant Stick Insect May Be Australia’s New Heaviest Insect
A new species of stick insect has been discovered in Australia, and it’s an absolute whopper. Named Acrophylla alta, it’s thought to be the heaviest known insect in Australia at 44 grams (0.09 pounds). That’s about the same as an egg. If confirmed, it’ll knock the giant burrowing cockroach, Macropanesthia rhinoceros, off the top spot. […]
What Is “Nobel Disease”, And Why Do So Many Prizewinners Go On To Develop It?
Albert Einstein, recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the photoelectric effect and the great physicist behind general and special relativity, once said: “The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler.” Given his […]
New Human “Mini-Brains” Combine Cells From The Whole Brain – Even The Blood Vessels
In an exciting advance in the world of neuroscience, a team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University just unveiled some of the first whole-brain organoids – “mini brains” that incorporate tissues from each region of the brain all linked up together. Organoids are miniature replicas of an organ grown from stem cells in the […]
Aging NASA Spacecraft Could Intercept The Interstellar Comet On The Other Side Of The Sun, Astronomers Suggest
A new pre-print paper involving sometimes-controversial Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has suggested a way we could intercept interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it hurtles through the Solar System. On July 1, 2025, astronomers spotted an object moving through the Solar System at nearly twice the velocity of previous interstellar visitors ‘Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. The object, […]
The Deepest Complex Ecosystem Ever Discovered Has Been Found 9,000 Meters Below The Sea
Life can thrive in some seriously extreme environments, from the salty to the cold, and now the surprisingly deep, as scientists have found the deepest complex ecosystem ever discovered. The hadal trenches these animals call home can be as deep as 9,533 meters (31,276 feet) and play host to species that get their energy from […]
Drone Footage Shows Synchronized Moves By Killer Whale Pairs Are More Effective Than Hunting Alone
Killer whales are known to be pretty successful hunters, but new research has revealed that teaming up with a buddy can help them catch herring off the coast of Norway. Using drone footage, the team recorded multiple pairs seemingly swimming in sync to catch herring and then sharing the fruits of their perfectly matched dance […]
For The First Time, A Quantum Computer Has Been Sent Into Space
An international team of researchers has developed a photonic quantum computer designed to operate in the harsh environment of space. The computer was integrated into a satellite and launched into space last month, collecting data about how a quantum computer would work in low Earth orbit. Quantum computers are the next revolutionary step in information […]
A Vast Ocean Of Water May Be Trapped In The Transition Zone Beneath Our Feet
Deep beneath the surface of the Earth, there is a massive reservoir of water, estimated to contain three times the amount of water of all the oceans on our surface. A new study suggests how it might have ended up there, trapped in the Earth’s transition zone. In 2014, a team from the US used […]
Beneath Antarctica’s Sea Ice, Leopard Seals Sing Nursery Rhymes In Search Of Love
A comparison of the structure of leopard seal songs to those of other mammals and various forms of human music has found the closest counterpart to be nursery rhymes. Unsurprisingly, however, the evolutionary driver for this repetitiveness is not the same as why we teach these songs to our children. Food is scarce in the […]
Double-Slit Experiment Performed With Single Atoms Shows Einstein Was Wrong
Researchers at MIT have conducted what they are calling the most “idealized” double-slit experiment yet, finding further evidence that Einstein’s take on the phenomenon is likely incorrect. The double-slit experiment and its variations is one of the weirdest results humans found as we began to study the world scientifically. In 1801, Thomas Young took a […]
Forecasting Tomorrow: How Science Fiction Is Helping Scientists Explore Possible Futures
We all love a good story. In fact, I am willing to bet there’s no one alive who can say they don’t like stories in one form or another. And we are all storytellers, too. Of course, some people have more narrative flare than others, but that does not mean they are not capable of […]
Siberian Mummy’s 2,000-Year-Old Tattoos Reveal The History Of Ancient Art
Bodies preserved by the deep cold of the Altai mountains offer archaeologists a rare insight into ancient tattoo art, and modern artists are impressed by the skill some of the work displays. Tattooing is so widespread across cultures that were isolated from each other that it almost certainly has very ancient roots. However, skin is […]
Humans Were Buzzing On Psychoactive Betel Nuts 4,000 Years Ago
Bronze-Age communities in Thailand used psychoactive betel nuts to enhance their alertness, relax their bodies and minds, and generate a sense of euphoria. Though demonized and banned in the country’s urban regions today, the natural stimulant continues to be consumed ritually and recreationally in rural areas, and may have played a role in religious practices […]
Megaflash Stretching 892 Kilometers Sets New World Record For Longest Lightning Strike
There is a new world record for the longest single lightning strike. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has confirmed a bolt that crossed the southern states of North America, from eastern Texas to near Kansas City in Missouri, in October 2017, stretched for an incredible 829 kilometers (515 miles), beating the previous record holder by […]
Your Organs Don’t All Age At The Same Rate. One Is Growing Old Much Quicker Than Others
Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, and the youngest you’ll ever be. That’s just the way it is, but did you know that not all of you is aging at the same rate? New research has shown that, in fact, some of our organs age much faster than others, opening new frontiers for understanding, […]
IFLScience The Big Questions: How Has The Internet Changed The Way We Use Language?
Language can evolve surprisingly quickly, and nothing has sped it up quite like the invention of the Internet. So, how does it affect how we communicate, not just on our devices but offline, IRL? Join host Tom Hale, senior journalist at IFLScience, as he discusses this and more with Internet linguist Dr Gretchen McCulloch, where […]
One Of The Most Dangerous Volcanoes Is Home To The World’s Largest Lava Lake
The world’s largest lava lake lies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), nestled within Mount Nyiragongo. Stretching about 250 meters (820 feet) across at a depth of 600 meters (1,970 feet), it’s quite the hot tub of bubbling magma. Part of the Virunga Mountains, it sits within the UNESCO World Heritage Site Virunga […]
