A skin cancer that was almost invisible to the human eye has been successfully detected, a feat that has seen the medical team recognized with a Guinness World Record. More importantly, for patient Christy Staats, it means her cancer was caught at an early stage before it had a chance to spread. “I believe it […]
Perhaps Sloth Fur Could Save Your Life
If you’re looking for a medical superhero, it might be hard to find anything less convincing than a sloth, yet in the fur of these notoriously sluggish animals lies bacteria that produce antibiotics that might just save us all. Antibiotics have played a major part in the doubling of human life expectancy over the last […]
Incredibly Preserved Fossils Show How Weird The Sea Was 462 Million Years Ago
Brains, eyes, and digestive organs. Those were just some of the soft tissue surprises waiting for researchers processing 462-million-year-old specimens retrieved from Castle Bank Quarry in Wales, UK. The Castle Bank Community, as the collection of ancient marine oddities is known, demonstrates remarkable diversity as well as preservation, contributing more than 170 new species to […]
“Scary Barbie” Is The Brightest, Most Energetic, And Longest Spaghettification Yet
The most energetic, luminous, and long-lasting transient celestial event known has been observed by astronomers. A supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy has ripped apart a star, turning it into a long bright stream of plasma – a process called spaghettification. The automatic survey gave the event the name ZTF20abrbeie and earned the nickname […]
A Mineral Forest For A Natural Spa
This article first appeared in Issue 7 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. Since the second century BCE, the city of Pamukkale, which neighbors the ancient Roman site of Hierapolis, has been used as a natural spa. The ancient formation was once believed to have healing powers, decked out with hot thermal springs and white terraces […]
New Bill To Prevent AI Single-Handedly Launching Nuclear Weapons Proposed In US
A new bill proposed by US lawmakers would prevent artificial intelligence (AI) from being able to singlehandedly launch nuclear weapons without human input, codifying existing Pentagon rules. While current rules forbid the autonomous launch of nuclear weapons, there aren’t any actual laws that prevent this from happening. With the astronomical rise in AI models in […]
Man Banned From Donating Sperm After Fathering Over 550 Children
A man from the Netherlands has been ordered by the courts to stop donating sperm after allegedly fathering over 550 children worldwide. The 41-year-old, named Jonathan in press reports, has been donating his sperm to fertility clinics since 2007 according to BBC News. In 2017, when it was discovered he had fathered over 100 children, […]
Conscious Activity Seen In Dying Brains May Explain Near-Death Experiences
Researchers have observed the brains of dying patients going down in a blaze of neural glory, indicating that the final throes of life may be considerably more colorful than a mere fade to black. Despite their comatose state, some of the perishing participants displayed brain activity that is associated with consciousness during their last moments, […]
Dwarf Planet Quaoar Has A Second Explanation-Defying Ring
Rings around worlds used to be a straightforward concept: If you have material in orbit within a certain distance, you get a ring. If it’s further out, the material coalesces into a moon in a matter of decades. In February, astronomers announced that the dwarf planet Quaoar has a ring where it shouldn’t be possible […]
AI Brain Activity Decoder Can Translate Thoughts Into Written Words
Translating someone’s brain activity into written words may sound like a science fiction dream, but a new artificial intelligence (AI) model developed at the University of Texas at Austin has been able to achieve just that. Using only noninvasive scanning methods, the model can be trained to decode complex language from someone’s thoughts for extended […]
Old Newspaper Ads Reveal How Native American Slavery Continued Into The 19th Century
An analysis of old newspapers in the USA has highlighted the persistence of the enslavement and indentured servitude of Native Americans into the 19th century. Two researchers from the Annenberg School for Communication and Brown University searched through newspapers from 1704-1804, souring for references to Indigenous Americans (largely termed “Indians” by the papers) being sold, […]
NASA’s Found A Way To Keep Voyager 2’s Full Science Operations Going Until 2026
A small reserve of backup power has been pressed into service to keep all Voyager 2’s scientific instruments operating until 2026, postponing a shutdown planned for this year. The operation will mean humanity maintains two eyes outside the heliosphere – the region where the solar wind dominates the interstellar medium. There’s a strong argument Voyager […]
Can You Go To Space In A Balloon?
This article first appeared in Issue 7 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. In issue 5 of CURIOUS we mentioned HALO Space, an ambitious company with big plans to send people into space in a balloon. Well, more of a capsule suspended by a balloon. The curious contraption gives passengers a 360-degree view of Earth as […]
Time Traveling iPhone User In 1860 Painting Has An Obvious Explanation
Every now and then, an old painting resurfaces online after people reassess it years later and believe it to contain a time traveler. It never is, of course, but that hasn’t stopped people once more believing that figures in a painting from centuries ago were walking around the woods and reading updates on a smartphone. […]
Three Word “Hack” Gives Twitter Users Blue Ticks For Free – But There’s A Catch
For a time, Twitter CEO Elon Musk entertained himself by telling people complaining about changes to the platform to pay $8 for their “verified” blue ticks, as advertising revenue for the site crumbles. A new “hack” has given people a way to give themselves a blue tick for free, should they wish to be associated […]
JUICE Hits A Snag On Its Way To Jupiter – But The Team Has Solutions
News came out on Friday that the European Space Agency’s JUICE mission has got a little problem. Its Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) antenna can’t be fully extended from its mounting bracket, which has created a bit of concern. This is an important instrument for the mission which will reach Jupiter and its icy […]
Immaculate Declaration Of Independence Hiding Under $4 Painting Eventually Sold For $7 Million At Auction
Enthusiasts of a flea market or carboot sale are always on the hunt for a steal, but one man got far more than he bargained for in 1991 after he bought an “ugly” painting. At just $4, a collector picked up the painting purely because he liked the picture frame, despite thinking the painting was […]
Mushrooms Get Chatty After It Rains
Mushrooms have been found to exchange electrical signals that some scientists consider a form of communication. However, a new study suggests, the fungal telephone lines go quiet when their environment dries out. Just as some birds like to celebrate the arrival of rain with song, it seems mushroom chatter also comes to life with a […]
Mars May Have Seen Snow As Recently As 400,000 Years Ago, Zhurong Rover Suggests
Liquid water may have been widespread on Mars as recently as 400,000 years ago, perhaps in the form of snowmelt in the planet’s iconic sandy dunes, according to new data from China’s Zhurong rover. Zhurong has already transformed our understanding of Mars since the rover landed on the Red Planet back in early 2021. While […]
How To See Impossible Colors. Find Out In Issue 10 Of CURIOUS – Out Now
Issue 10 (May 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 See Impossible Colors? “Imaginary” colors are real and […]
