In April of this year, Spanish athlete Beatriz Flamini emerged into the light after a 500-day stay in a cave. Her descent underground is probably the longest undertaken by a long stretch. Flamini says she lost all sense of time on the 65th day. But can she really be sure it was the 65th day? […]
Rumors Of Big Cats Roaming The UK Countryside Will Not Die, So Is There Any Truth?
Rumours that there are big cats in Britain stubbornly keep cropping up. The thought of a large predator lurking in the rural landscapes of Britain is an exciting one. The most recent widely published claim of a big black cat in the UK does actually show a photo of a big cat species, which can […]
The Alien Terrain Of The Danakil Depression
This article first appeared in Issue 11 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. Searing hot water. Sulfurous springs. Pools of caustic acid and plumes of scorching steam. Sounds hectic, right? Nonetheless, the Danakil Depression in northern Ethiopia is a geological hit with curious sightseers. Its blue-burning lava and bright yellow springs might be a psychedelic […]
Iceland Resumes Whaling In Spite Of Hopes Ban Would Last Forever
When Iceland suspended the summer 2023 commercial whaling season, many were optimistic it could be the final nail in the coffin for the dwindling whaling industry. However, those hopes have been dashed after Iceland’s government quietly announced it will be lifting the summer suspension on whaling, effectively allowing hunting to resume under a new set […]
We’re Proud To Introduce Gef, The Talking Mongoose That Mystified A Nation
There was a period of time during the mid-1930s when newspapers in Britain and elsewhere became transfixed on the strangest of strange stories. According to the reports, a family on the Isle of Man were being visited by a “talking mongoose” or “man-weasel” that went by the name Gef, the Dalby Spook. What the hell […]
Incredible Rare Lenticular Cloud Over Volcano Shortlisted For Photography Award
This incredible shot of a UFO-like lenticular cloud atop one of Chile’s most active volcanoes is among those shortlisted for this year’s Weather Photographer of the Year competition. Photographer Francisco Negroni titled his piece A Perfect Cloud, and we can see why. Lenticular clouds are a rare and striking phenomenon, arising when moist air flows […]
How The Skewered Brain Of Phineas Gage Changed Medical Science Forever
When an accidental explosion sent an iron rod straight through the head of railroad construction foreman Phineas P. Gage, nobody could have expected he would survive. Nor could they have anticipated that it would prove to be a pivotal moment in medical history, giving rise to one of the most contentious therapies in medical history. […]
What Are Baby Platypuses Called?
Undoubtedly up there with some of the weirdest animals on Earth, platypuses resemble a hodgepodge of about four different animals. These funky monotremes are found swimming around Australia’s rivers, laying eggs (more on that later) and raising their young. But what do you call a baby platypus? Let’s start with breeding Of course we have […]
37 Percent Of US Dog Owners Think Vaccines Will Give Their Dog Autism
A new study has found that dog owners in the US have become increasingly skeptical of vaccinating their canine companions. The growth of the anti-vax movement was one of the most notable outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, even reaching the point where social media platforms had to expand their medical misinformation policies to cover all […]
Something Just Smacked Into Jupiter And Amateur Astronomers Captured It
A celestial object recently smashed into Jupiter, the undisputed king of the planets, releasing a short but sharp flash of energy. While objects frequently collide with Jupiter – much more so than any other planet in the Solar System – it’s pretty exceptional for scientists to document the crash in action. Remarkably, this latest collision […]
That “Gross” Black Nub On The End Of A Banana Isn’t A Seed
Bananas are berries, botanically speaking, which is especially confusing in the context that strawberries aren’t. There’s a lot to these fruits – which they are classed as, too – that people don’t appreciate, but perhaps one of its most misunderstood and wrongfully maligned features is that little black nub you find at the end. If […]
Archaeologists Discover 3,000-Year-Old Shaman’s Tomb In Peru
A team of archaeologists has made an important discovery in the province of Chota in Cajamarca, Peru. They have unearthed the tomb of a shaman who is thought to have lived around 3,000 years ago. The find represents the first priestly figure of its kind in the region. The individual, who was buried with a […]
Eat What You Want, Still Lose Weight? Mouse Study Seems Too Good To Be True
The brain’s weight switch may have been discovered in a new study that enabled obese mice to lose weight without changing their diet. If the same effects are seen in humans, it could give rise to a new therapy that enables people to regulate their weight without experiencing the hunger pangs and dietary restrictions associated […]
Why Do Cats Love Tuna? Science May Finally Have An Answer
If you’ve ever tried to make a tuna mayo sandwich in the same room as a cat you could be well versed in just how much cats love tuna. Quite why cats go mad for this fishy treat has been explored by a new study looking at taste receptors in the mouths of our feline […]
Two Years Of Drought Reveal Some Of The Longest Dino Tracks In The World
Texas has been experiencing extreme drought conditions for the past few years. While this is a worrying and damaging situation generally, it has revealed something previously unknown: for millions of years, dinosaur tracks (up to 70) have been hiding under the water and mud of the Paluxy River. Now, the hot temperatures have exposed these […]
Should We All Be Meditating?
This article first appeared in Issue 11 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. In the Buddhist tradition, meditation is seen as a path to enlightenment and a tool to realize the Fourth Noble Truth: that there is a way to end our worldly suffering. While modern science tends not to deal in such mystical notions, there is some evidence […]
Sepsis Is As Common As Cancer, As Deadly As A Heart Attack: Do You Know The Signs?
Data from Sweden, published in a new study, show that sepsis in hospital patients is much more common than many previously believed. The researchers are now working to map the situation across the whole of Europe; but do you know the signs and symptoms to look out for? Initial research back in 2016 in the […]
Why You Shouldn’t Use Magnets To Hunt For Meteorites
Even in an age of rovers on Mars and probes to asteroids, meteorites provide vital information that we often can’t get anywhere else. Some of the knowledge we seek is stored magnetically, making its wiping a scientific tragedy. Yet that happens when meteorite hunters use hand magnets to discover their targets, and one study shows […]
IFLScience The Big Questions: What Can Ancient Ice Tell Us About The Future?
There are many methods that allow us to look back into Earth’s past and study its climate, including the collection of ice cores. Extracting ancient ice from deep inside some of the most remote glaciers can reveal how our planet has changed over millions of years. But it’s not just about the past: what is […]
Bacteria Living In The Deep Sea Can “Sense” Earth’s Magnetic Fields
Around the deep sea vents of Earth’s deepest waters, it’s possible to find colonies of bacteria that are neatly pointed toward the invisible magnetic field lines of Earth, just like a compass needle. These strange life forms are known as magnetotactic bacteria, living microorganisms capable of “sensing” magnetic fields. While their kind have been found […]
