Astronomers have discovered a large deposit of carbon dioxide (CO2) ice on Europa, one of the icy moons of Jupiter. The distant world is covered by a thick ice crust and beneath it there is a salty water ocean and a rocky seafloor. Europa is already seen as one of the most likely possible places […]
Patterns That Lead To Affairs In Committed Relationships Identified
A recent study has revealed a trend of gradual deterioration in relationships before the occurrence of an affair. The findings indicate once an affair takes place, it’s exceedingly uncommon for a healthy relationship to follow. These results point to noticeable declines in well-being leading up to such moments, shedding light on the reasons behind such […]
Sand That Flows Uphill Created By Researchers
From an hourglass to the dunes on a beach, we know that sand flows downhill. It’s just what granular materials do. However, researchers have just discovered that it is possible to create a granular material that ignores this basic principle: A sand-like substance that flows uphill and climbs stairs and walls. The discovery was serendipitous. […]
At What Age Are We Happiest?
Adults love annoying kids by saying things like, “Youth is wasted on the young,” and, “Your school days are the best of your life!” Meanwhile, those young people stare back in disbelief, imagining how much happier they’ll be when they’re free from exam stress and clueless grownups telling them what to do all the time. […]
Is Africa Really Three Times Bigger Than America?
Africa is far bigger than you may think. If you look at a map or globe, the continent looks pretty large compared to other land masses, but this representation is not accurate. In reality, Africa is enormous. In fact, you could fit China, India, all the states in the contiguous US, and most of Europe […]
You’re Probably Not Flossing Your Teeth Properly
Flossing – of the dental variety – is one of the most mundane parts of a person’s day, but any dentist will tell you it’s vital to maintaining good oral hygiene. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of us are probably doing it wrong, as new research has revealed a vastly superior flossing technique: AHVFT. The […]
The Deadliest Cat In The World Is Tiny And Adorable
The African black-footed cat has a ferocious reputation as the deadliest cat in the world, but if you saw one on a suburban street, you’d probably mistake it for an extremely cute tabby kitten. Along with being the world’s deadliest feline, the black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) also happens to be Africa’s smallest cat. Weighing between 1 to 2 […]
See What’s Inside One Of The Permanently Dark Craters On The Moon
On the South Pole of the Moon, there are craters that never see sunlight. Images of them are usually just a dark abyss, but there is interest in getting to the bottom of them. There is ice there, and the Artemis astronauts will explore the region when humans return to the Moon later this decade. […]
Modified Silkworms Spin Spider Silk Six Times Stronger Than Kevlar
Scientists have achieved a long-standing dream to genetically modify silkworms to produce a material stronger than the Kevlar in bulletproof vests. Not only could the product save lives and have a host of industrial uses, but it could also be more environmentally friendly than existing manufacturing techniques for high-strength fabrics. Silkworms have been put to […]
Phallic Mushroom Puts On A Show In Staggering Timelapse Video
A big phallic mushroom recently put on quite a show in eastern Germany, where its short life cycle was captured on camera. The fruiting body of the stinkhorn fungus, Phallus impudicus, it looks as NSFW as its species name would have you assume, and the video is really something. The starring mushroom is the visible […]
Man Found Naturally Mummified Just 16 Days After Last Being Seen Alive
A man in Bulgaria has been found in a “stage of complete mummification” just 16 days after last being seen alive. Describing this incredibly rare occurrence, the authors of a new case report say that the dead man’s brain, guts, and other organs had shriveled up into “structureless masses”, yet are unable to explain how […]
Why People Started To Believe Birds Aren’t Real
In a recent Ted Talk, the creator of the Bird Aren’t Real movement Peter McIndoe spoke about the work he does “deprogramming” the public from the “bird lie”. “We live in a pro-bird civilization drenched in propaganda,” McIndoe told the audience, explaining that once he realized that he had to act, going from city to […]
Enormous, Stinky, And Iconic “Corpse Flowers” Need Saving From Extinction
Most species in the Rafflesia genus, also known as “corpse flowers” (not to be confused with Amorphophallus titanum), are in danger. An estimated 60 percent of species are at severe risk of extinction, and 67 percent of their known habitats are outside of protected areas, a new study has found. These parasitic plants are famous for […]
A Medieval Manuscript Adds Credibility To Prediction Of A Nova Next Year
In 1866, astronomers were astonished when a star that previously required telescopes to see quickly rose to be the second brightest in the Coronae Borealis constellation for weeks. It seems, however, that the event was not unprecedented: a medieval manuscript reveals a brightening of what may be the same star. If so, it would add […]
Brand New Virus Discovered In Depths Of The Mariana Trench
Life is surprisingly persistent in the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth. Whether or not you subscribe to the idea that viruses count as “life”, little is known about the ones that make it their home. In a new study, researchers have identified a previously unknown bacteriophage residing in the trench, and in doing […]
Meet The Gorgeous New Tarantula From Thailand With Rare Electric Blue Hair
Blue is one of the rarest colors found in nature – along with the fact there are no green mammals, of course. Now a new species of tarantula has been discovered in Thailand with a blue-violet hue that researchers say resembles the color of electrical sparks. In Phang-Nga province in Thailand, researchers collected a new […]
Frank Rubio Becomes First US Astronaut To Spend A Whole Year In Space
Last week, Frank Rubio reached the milestone of spending the longest time in space of any NASA astronaut. Now, he has broken another record. He’s the first US astronaut to have spent a whole consecutive year in space, and he’s still got a few more days to go before he comes down to Earth on […]
Reader Question: Why Does Coffee Make You Poop?
Coffee drinkers out there will be familiar with the phenomenon of coffee poops, the poops you suddenly have the urge for after drinking your morning macchiato. The phenomenon is generally accepted amongst coffee drinkers, despite not a lot in the way of scientific investigation. In a small survey, 29 percent of people said that coffee […]
How Did Life Originate? There Are Hundreds Of “Recipes” It May Have Followed
The emergence of life on Earth is a mystery. What were the conditions that made it possible for life to happen here? We do not know. We also don’t know if those conditions are an absolute requirement or if there are different ways for life to come out of the inorganic universe. A group of […]
How Tiny Sea Creatures Can Teach Us About The Evolution Of The Human Brain
Tiny blob-like sea creatures could hold the keys to the origins of our nervous systems. A new study put placozoans under the microscope – literally – and discovered that they contain cells that look a little bit like our neurons, something scientists haven’t seen before this far back in evolutionary time. Placozoans have been around […]
