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 […]
Could Reddit Reports Of DMT Use Help Explain Mysterious And Bizarre Experience?
From encounters with autonomous entities to the sensation of ego-dissolution, various psychedelics offer experiences that can only be described as “mystical” and often, according to users, weirdly familiar. But despite the number of people who report such things, little research has paid particular attention to this sense of familiarity. Now researchers have addressed this gap […]
How Much Of Cleopatra’s Handwriting Has Survived The Centuries?
Queen Cleopatra has remained one of the most high-profile figures in history. Often remembered for her cunning and romantic love affairs with both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, this queen of Egypt was an accomplished ruler in her own right, and one of the few female rulers of her age. It is perhaps fitting then […]
What Are Charm Quarks And Why Are They So Bizarre?
There are six varieties of quarks, including one known as “strange”. However, in the world of the very small, where quantum physics reigns, many things are strange, and arguably charm quarks are stranger still. Both top and bottom quarks are heavier than charm quarks (in the case of top quarks, dramatically so), but last year, […]
China’s Old Tea Forests, Gaya Tumuli Burial Mounds Among Newest UNESCO Heritage Sites
UNESCO has added over 40 new World Heritage Sites to its list of protected areas and buildings, ranging from the natural wonders of forests and mountains to the culturally significant monuments and memorials of human history. After deliberations at the 45th World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, the list contains nearly 1,200 sites considered […]
Bright Blue Lobster With One In 2 Million Discovery Chance Adds To Colorful Genetic Lobster Lottery
While lobsters might not get the acclaim they deserve in terms of popularity and are more likely to end up on a platter at a fancy seafood restaurant than a top ten list of impressive creatures, they nevertheless have some pretty noteworthy characteristics. While most lobster species appear in shiny red or orange hues, just […]
