The OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule was not even cold on the ground – it reached 2,900°C (5,300°F) as it used the atmosphere to slow down – before some people on the internet were already questioning whether it might have brought alien pathogens with it. We’re pretty confident that the answer to that is a big […]
The Stonehenge Altar Stone Didn’t Come From Where We Thought It Did
The mystery surrounding Stonehenge has just become a little deeper thanks to a new analysis of the iconic Altar Stone, which reveals that the enormous megalith didn’t come from the same source as the rest of the so-called bluestones that comprise the monument’s inner circle. Until now, it had been assumed that the Altar Stone […]
A New Language Has Been Unearthed From Ancient Ruins In Turkey
A long-lost language that hasn’t been uttered for centuries has been discovered on cuneiform clay tablets among some ancient ruins in Turkey. The new language was discovered at Boğazköy-Hattusha, aka Hattusa, an archaeological site in north-central Turkey that once served as the capital of the Hittite Empire. The site earned its place as a UNESCO […]
Zealandia’s Secrets Revealed: Scientists Retrieve Samples From The Lost Continent
Around 23 million years ago, the eighth continent of the world became almost entirely submerged underwater, 60 million years after separating from the supercontinent Gondwana. Geologists have known for some time that the makeup of New Zealand and New Caledonia had similar geology. After years of exploration and research, geologists realized they shared a lot […]
OSIRIS-REx Successfully Drops Precious Pieces Of Asteroid Bennu In Utah Desert
OSIRIS-REx has successfully completed its primary mission: to collect a sample of material from asteroid Bennu, pack it up into a capsule, and fly back to Earth. After seven years in space, and a few billion miles around the Sun (to save fuel), the orbits of our planet and the spacecraft crossed again, allowing the […]
How To Spot A Pseudoscience. Find Out More In Issue 15 Of CURIOUS – Out Now
Issue 15 (October 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: How To Spot A Pseudoscience The line between science and […]
The World Has Five Oceans, Not Four – Meet The Newest Addition
It may be time to brush up on your geography knowledge: there are actually five oceans on planet Earth, not four as you may have been taught. Back in 2021, National Geographic officially recognized the Southern Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean. The announcement marked the end of decades of dispute over the body of […]
This Is Your Last Chance To See Green Comet Nishimura For Another 400 Years
The recently discovered green comet Nishimura survived its recent closest pass to the Sun, which is good for the comet but bad for us. It means soon we won’t be able to see it and it won’t come around again for another 437 years, so you’ll need to be quick to catch a last glimpse. […]
The Gulf Stream Is Weaker Now Than It Has Been For Over A Millennium
The warm ocean current that keeps northern Europe habitable is weaker than at any time in the previous thousand years, sediments and ice cores indicate. The finding increases the likelihood the current will weaken further, with catastrophic implications for the UK and Ireland, and bad news for many other places. For thousands of years the […]
Why Does My Hair Turn Green From The Swimming Pool?
If you are a blonde like me and enjoy laps in a swimming pool, you may have noticed your hair acquires a green tint after frequent swims in chlorinated water. This happens to both bleached and natural blondes. In fact, the green tinge happens to everyone, but it’s less visible on dark hair and those […]
Will E-Fuels Change The Way We Fly?
Although planes can take us to places far and wide, climate change has made people reconsider the carbon footprint of flying. The flight industry is looking towards sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) or e-fuels as a potentially greener alternative to traditional fuels. For The Big Questions, IFLScience’s podcast, we spoke to Sophie Zienkiewicz and Alasdair Lumsden, […]
How Can I Get Better Sleep On Long-Haul Flights?
For most of us, the prospect of a long-haul flight is exciting, mixed with a few nerves. We’re off somewhere different – perhaps a holiday, maybe to catch up with friends or family. Even work can be more interesting when you’re in a new location. Of course, you want to arrive fully rested and ready […]
Early Humans Crafted Skeletal Remains Into A Drinking Cup And Other Tools
Caves have long been used for funerary purposes in cultures from the Americas to Asia. In the Iberian Peninsula in modern-day Portugal and Spain, placing the dead in natural caves dates back to the early Neolithic era. Also widespread was the manipulation of human remains within these burial caves, utilizing the bones to make tools, […]
That Bump Above Your Belly Button Might Be An Epigastric Hernia
Have you ever noticed a small bump on your belly? Although it could be a multitude of different things, lumps on the abdomen can sometimes be down to hernias, of which one of the most common types is epigastric. What is an epigastric hernia? Hernias happen when an internal part of the body, such as […]
The Reason We See Jesus In Toast May Explain Ancient Humans’ Cave Art
The human tendency to see faces and other meaningful forms in random patterns may have influenced the cave art created by our Ice Age ancestors, new research suggests. According to the study authors, ancient artists probably recognized animal forms in the cracks and curves in cave walls, often using these natural features as a scaffold […]
Jellyfish Are Capable Of Something Scientists Never Dreamed They Could Do
For the first time, scientists have discovered that jellyfish can learn from past experiences and change their behavior in response, despite lacking a central brain. The findings of a new study suggest they’re much more complex than previously thought, which is particularly remarkable for an animal with so few nerve cells. Box jellyfish (Tripedalia cystophora) […]
Astonishing 15-Million-Year-Old Spider Fossil Is The Second Largest Ever Found
A spider bonanza kicked off in Australia during the Miocene at a time when a change in the climate dried up the landscape. This gave a group of spiders called mygalomorph spiders an opportunity to diversify, which would be really cool to see if we had many spider fossils to work from. The record is […]
Headless Roman Statues Are Headless For A Reason – And It’s Not What You Think
The centuries have not always been kind to ancient artifacts, especially works of art. Museums across the world are filled with examples of statues and sculptures that are damaged in some way, often missing limbs or showing signs of dilapidation. However, not all of this assumed damage is accidental. It seems the Romans deliberately created […]
The Fall Equinox Is Coming – Here’s What It Means (And What It Doesn’t)
The first day of fall is marked by the autumn equinox, which this year lands on Saturday, September 23. The equinox is a day that sees equal parts day and night and it happens twice a year; once on the vernal equinox in spring, and then again in the fall. The equinox is steeped in […]
Mysterious Flashes On Venus May Not Be Lightning After All
Venus has a thick deadly atmosphere. The cloud cover extends for 20 kilometers (12 miles) and is marked by flashes of light. These are believed to be lightning flashes and electrical discharges among the clouds, but now a team has an alternative explanation: meteor strikes. The idea that it is lightning comes from different types […]
