You wait decades for the military to start downing unidentified flying objects (UFOs) then suddenly they’re dropping out of the sky like month-old birthday balloons. The US has downed a fourth flying object this week, taking care to not rule out the possibility of aliens before taking a more sensible approach and denying it was […]
Blue Origin Claims It Can Make Solar Cells From Lunar Dust
Last week a blog post on Blue Origin’s website made a claim that, if verified, could dramatically increase the prospects for establishing ongoing bases on the Moon. However, the curious lack of promotion the company – not usually known for avoiding publicity – has so far given the announcement suggests they may still have some […]
Earth-Sized Telescope Snaps Image Of One Of The Brightest Lights In The Universe
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a virtual telescope that connects observatories all over the world. Thanks to a quirk of physics, the resulting instrument is the size of our planet, and it has been used to snap the first close-up images of supermassive black holes: Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way, […]
When You Exercise May Affect How Much Fat You Burn
With the exception of a few genetic lottery winners, many people have felt it at some point in their life: the frustration of standing on the bathroom scales after a few weeks of diligent exercise, seeing the exact same number as before you even bothered. It’s enough to make you lose faith in the whole […]
AI Just Fully Controlled A Tactical Jet For The First Time Ever
A tactical aircraft has made the first-ever flight being piloted purely by artificial intelligence (AI), according to a release from Lockheed Martin. Flying for a staggering 17 hours, the AI-piloted a VISTA X-62A tactical test aircraft that is used to mimic military jets in a trial that hopes to add new capabilities to the VISTA […]
Remarkable Male Contraceptive Proven To Make Mouse Sperm Lose Its Swimming Power
A new male contraceptive is being hailed a “game-changer” as it’s been found to temporarily pause fertility in mice without affecting their long-term sperm production. Mice given the treatment became infertile but maintained normal mating behavior, and by the next day were fully fertile again. The male contraceptive works by inhibiting soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) […]
Astronomer Finds New Way To Find Mysterious Planet 9, If It Exists At All
An astronomer has outlined a new way of finding the elusive Planet Nine, if it exists at all and has picked up moons as it orbits around our Sun. You may be wondering why we have so much trouble finding a planet in our own Solar System, when thousands have been discovered in recent years […]
Like A Butterfly Effect, “Teleconnections” Link Weather All Around World
New research has looked at the vast climate “teleconnections” that span across our planet, potentially linking droughts and driving wildfires around the world. Teleconnection is the idea in atmospheric science that climate and weather events in geographically distant places can be tightly related. After all, the planet is a vast interconnected system. Advertisement A freakishly […]
Ice Sheets May Cause 1.4-Meter Sea Level Rise If Climate Crisis Lets Rip
If the climate crisis is allowed to deepen, the melting of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets alone could contribute about 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) to global sea level rise, according to a new study. That figure is before we even consider the impact of other contributions to the sea level rise, such as […]
Vegetarian Dinosaurs Evolved Different Ways To Eat The Same Food
Dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes, so it may not be surprising to learn that they had different ways to approach food. But a new study has shown that there are a surprising number of ways that ‘veggie’ dinosaurs, even among closely related species, approached plant-based foods, and that these differences are important for […]
Could You Shoot A Bullet Through Jupiter?
The four gas giant planets in the Solar System are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – and they are very alien to the experience we have here on Earth. They have thick atmospheres, unlike anything seen in the rocky planets of the Solar System. Some people wonder if passing through them would be a bit […]
You Are Not Ready For The Mating Ritual Of The World’s Biggest Slug
Love-making in the animal kingdom comes in all shapes, sizes and confusing choreography, but for all of its weirdness it’s hard to imagine that there’s much left out there to surprise one of humankind’s most famous naturalists, David Attenborough. Remarkably, the presenter was still taken aback when a new series from the BBC brought to […]
Bing’s New Chat AI Appears To Claim It Is Sentient After Release To The Public
Bing’s new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot has been having some awkward and downright baffling conversations with the general public, following a limited release of the “new Bing” powered by the AI. Widely-posted screenshots of chats between the public and the machine show it acting slightly depressed after being informed it has no long-term memory, getting […]
500-Year-Old Horn Container Discovered In South Africa Sheds Light On Pre-Colonial Khoisan Medicines
In 2020, a chance discovery near the small South African hamlet of Misgund in the Eastern Cape unearthed an unusual parcel – a gift to science. The parcel turned out to be a 500-year-old cow horn, capped with a leather lid and carefully wrapped in grass and the leafy scales of a Bushman poison bulb […]
Tired Of Valentine’s? Celebrate India’s “Cow Hug Day” Instead
Valentine’s Day can be a divisive holiday. While some relish an opportunity to big up the special guys or gals in their life, others are put off by the commercial aspects of the day. If you’re not feeling it this February 14, why not join India in switching to “Cow Hug Day” instead? In a […]
“Significant Debris” Recovered From Chinese Balloon Shot Down Off Atlantic Coast
The mind-boggling drama of aerial objects recently spotted in North American airspace continues to unfold, as the US recovers the first Chinese balloon it shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday February 4. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has also launched efforts to recover and study the other three objects recently shot down over […]
Whatever Message You’re Sending This Valentine’s Day, Say It With Cockroaches
This article first appeared in Issue 7 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. There’s nothing like a cockroach to say “I love you”. And, come to think of it, nothing says “I hate you” quite like a cockroach either. Whatever message you’re trying to send this Valentine’s Day, these versatile insects have you covered. Advertisement […]
The Lapis Niger Was A Mystery Even In Ancient Times. The Truth Was Even Stranger
A tiny kingdom that became an expanding republic, finally peaking as a vast Empire, the city and culture of Ancient Rome have had a profound effect on life today. This so-called “eternal city” is littered with relics and ruins (and truly, so much porn) that date back nearly three full millennia – and yet, there are […]
Man Dies After Taking Loaded Concealed Gun Into An MRI Scan
A man has died of his injuries, after taking a concealed weapon into a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) room. Forty-year-old lawyer Leandro Mathias de Novaes allegedly took a gun with him when accompanying his mother to an appointment at Laboratorio Cura, concealed under his waistband. Advertisement “Both the patient and [her] companion were properly instructed […]
This Bizarre Blue Sand Is Only Found On A Few Beaches Globally
Colorful sand is something many of us played with as children, but while we poured artificial hues into glass bottles, there is plenty of natural variation among sand out in the wild. Iceland’s black sand beaches are a tourist highlight, Alaska’s jewel sand is stuffed full of aesthetically pleasing minerals, but in Namibia, you can […]
