In decades gone by, rumors swirled around the forests of Africa that spoke of a strange chimpanzee-gorilla hybrid, known as koolakamba. They’ve been the subject of a small handful of studies since the 19th century, but hard proof – or even sturdy evidence – of their existence has continued to allude scientists. One of the […]
Milky Way Weighs Less Than We Thought – And It’s Missing Dark Matter
Astronomers have used the observations by the Gaia satellite from the European Space Agency (ESA) to work out exactly how much mass the Milky Way has. And it turns out it is less than previous estimates, placing the total at 206 billion times the mass of our Sun. The Gaia data is the most detailed […]
Wobbling Jet Provides First Confirmation Black Holes Spin
The supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the heart of galaxy M87 has been found to spin, causing its jet to oscillate by around 10 degrees. The newly released findings confirm one of the most important features of black holes that astronomers have suspected for a long time but have not previously been able to confirm […]
How Safe Is The Sushi You Eat Really?
Aside from the possibility of accidentally overdosing on wasabi, eating sushi is usually a relatively safe activity. However, as with all uncooked foods, raw fish can contain bacteria and other pathogens that have the potential to cause food poisoning, and the results of a new study suggest that we should be taking these harmful microbes […]
Nine Orcas Have Died In Alaska This Year By Getting Tangled In Fishing Nets
At least nine orcas have died after getting trapped in commercial fishing equipment off the coast of Alaska in 2023 so far. This figure is already significantly higher than many previous years combined, raising speculation that the increase in fatalities could be the result of a “new behavior” within the species. NOAA Fisheries released a […]
Mystery As Hundreds More Fairy Circle Sites Found Across The World
For decades people have been stumped by the existence of “fairy circles”, strange circular patterns found in arid regions of Namibia and Western Australia. Various explanations have been proposed over the years for the formations – from harvester termites to Turing mechanisms. Complicating the mystery, or perhaps giving us the information we need to solve […]
Heavy Star Underwent Dramatic Weight Loss Before Going Supernova
The closest supernova to Earth in the last decade has provided astronomers with intriguing new insights into what happens to these stars just before they go boom. And it turns out that some of them lose a lot of weight in an incredibly brief window of time. SN 2023ixf exploded in the Pinwheel galaxy, a […]
What Can We Learn From Skeletal Remains?
This article first appeared in Issue 12 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. The rate of decomposition of the human body varies enormously depending on where it lies after its last breath. Kept in the cool conditions of a morgue, you can buy yourself time to plan a funeral and even embalm the body to keep […]
Japan’s “Moon Sniper” Snaps A Half-Earth From 100,000 Miles Away
Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has sent back an eerie photo of the Earth, testing the cameras that will help the lander with an ambitious landing on the lunar surface. Usually, when probes land on the Moon, the missions behind them are attempting to land in a zone that is kilometers wide. Earlier this month, the […]
It’s Possible To Extract Audio From A Still, Soundless Image
Researchers have found a way to extract audio from still images and soundless video after a professor was inspired to do so by the sci-fi TV show Fringe. In the TV show, the FBI is able to extract recorded sound from a melted pane of glass. Den of Geek called the idea a “ridiculous pseudo-science […]
Whales Love A Good Seaweed Mask At The Spa
It turns out humans aren’t the only ones who enjoy a cheeky spa day – whales have been spotted having a grand old time frolicking about in seaweed, appearing to use the slimy sea algae as a body cleanser as well as for play. Although it’s been well-documented that many cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) […]
Seven Bizarre Animals That Live In The Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) is a collection of floating trash about twice the size of Texas. It’s perhaps the most dramatic example, but by no means alone when it comes to islands of floating trash – and yet there’s something else to be found here other than discarded human garbage. The diversity of […]
NASA “Outtakes” Show Astronauts Struggling To Walk On The Moon
There’s something quite humbling in watching astronauts struggling to walk on the Moon. Billions of dollars are spent getting them up there, they put in years of training, sometimes delivering a speech that will echo through the ages, and when they finally get on the Moon they start stumbling around like newborn deer attempting to […]
Using Just Wi-Fi Signals, You Can Track People And Read Through Walls
Recent research has revealed that it’s possible to use the signals beamed out from your Wi-Fi router into a sneaky surveillance system, capable of tracking the movement of people and even reading text through walls. One example of this technology was recently demonstrated by a team of computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University who developed […]
“Black Dust And Debris”: NASA Opens Lid Of Asteroid Sample Capsule
The OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return capsule landed back on Earth on Sunday and the procedure to safely collect the sample from its belly has begun. The capsule was taken to NASA’s Johnson Space Center where its lid was opened inside a special glovebox to ensure no contamination. Inside NASA has found what it called “black […]
Rare Fossil Reveals What One Trilobite Had For Dinner 465 Million Years Ago
Trilobites are among the most common fossils, some of which include the earliest-known sexual weaponry, and yet for all the specimens we have to work from, nobody’s found any direct evidence of what they had for dinner. Now, a first-of-its-kind fossil has been described that contains preserved stomach contents dating back 465 million years! It’s […]
Magic Mushrooms And Quiet Quitting – Is There A Relationship?
Quiet quitting is an increasingly popular term for employees who “check out” and no longer put in additional effort at work, usually in favor of a healthier work-life balance. Now, new research has identified a curious link between the use of psilocybin, from magic mushrooms, and a reduction in working overtime among employees. The results […]
There’s A Neurological Reason Why Your Skin Feels Tight After Cleansing
Although cleansing is a major part of many people’s skincare, it often leaves our skin feeling uncomfortably tight. A new study has revealed the mechanisms behind this odd sensation, and it could help cosmetics companies improve the cleansing experience. The tightness you get after cleansing is easily the worst part of the nighttime routine – […]
People Learn To Control A Robotic Third Arm Surprisingly Quickly
It’s surprisingly easy to learn to operate an extra limb, a new study has found, despite the fact humans haven’t had to do it for millions of years, since some ancestral species lost their tails. Admittedly, the study demonstrated the capacity to repurpose leg muscles, rather than operate a true additional limb, but it could […]
Steamy Stuff At Fly Ranch Geyser
This article first appeared in Issue 12 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. Geology and biology collide at Fly Ranch Geyser in Nevada, USA, where a human-made well provides a window into Earth’s hottest watery environments and the curious life they support. Few animals would be lining up to take up residence in a place that […]
