A reverse-polarity sunspot has released a solar flare expected to trigger a moderate to strong geomagnetic storm on Earth either tonight or tomorrow. People in the right locations could get another treat similar to the auroras of late February and March 23. For those suitably minded, there would also be the intellectual thrill of knowing […]
Last Female Yangtze Giant Turtle Found Dead, Spelling Doom For Species
The lifeless body of one of the last remaining Yangtze giant softshell turtles was found on April 21 at Đồng Mô Lake in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, according to Vietnamese media. It’s been widely reported that this was the last female of the species, effecting dooming the much-loved species into extinction. The deceased turtle […]
This Is The Best Way To Get A Cat’s Attention According To Science
The best approach for getting a cat to interact with you has been uncovered in a new study that trialed three cat calling – in the most literal sense of the phrase – techniques. It found that a combination of audio and visual cues is the most likely to get you attention from a feline […]
Experiencing Gender Discrimination May Make Parts Of Women’s Brains Thinner
A sample of almost 8,000 MRI scans has revealed differences between men’s and women’s brains, but only in countries with high measures of gender inequality. In places with less discrimination, no statistically significant distinctions could be seen between brains, at least on this measure. Being on the receiving end of gender discrimination is associated with […]
UK Government To Allow Animal Testing For Cosmetics After 25-Year Ban
The UK government will follow EU laws to allow the use of animal testing for cosmetics for the first time in 25 years. Despite wide condemnation from makeup brands and animal rights groups, a High Court ruling concluded that the government was acting legally and aligns with a similar change within the EU. “We are […]
Did Plato Hide Heretical Music Theory In His Philosophy?
Stop us if you’ve heard this one: a genius from centuries gone by, forced to hide his heretical beliefs from his peers, instead buried his ideas in a complex code, hidden in plain sight until some future scholar could decipher the truth. Is it The Da Vinci Code? No. Isaac Newton’s weirdly extensive research on […]
Crushed Fossil Pieces Used To Reconstruct Killer “Tadpole From Hell”
What’s 3 meters (10 feet) long, has huge teeth, big eyes, and hunted prey in ancient Scottish swaps over 300 million years ago? The answer: an extremely ferocious-looking crocodile-like carnivore called Crassigyrinus scoticus. Now, a team of scientists have managed to digitally reconstruct this beastie’s skull, which not only yields new insights into what it […]
China Creates Brain-Computer Link That Allows Monkey To Control Robot Arm
Scientists in China claim to have created a brain-computer interface that allows a monkey to control a robotic arm using its mind. Just like other incarnations of this type of technology, the researchers argue it could someday help people who have lost the use of their limbs. The research, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, […]
JWST Catches New Asteroid Belt Forming Around Nearby Star
Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the constellation of the Southern Fish and it is the second brightest in the sky when it comes to having a planetary system around it (after Pollux). But the Fomalhaut system is still a “work in progress” – it’s unsure if it has planets but what it certainly does […]
Don’t Believe Peanut Butter Is A Liquid? Here’s The Physics
Those Transportation Security Administration requirements are drilled into every frequent flyer’s head: You can carry on liquids that are only less than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) in volume each. But when the TSA recently confiscated a jar of Jif under this rule, peanut butter lovers were up in arms. Some skeptics of security may suspect […]
Have A Close-Up Look At Where Humans Will Next Set Foot On The Moon
Artemis astronauts who will walk on the Moon will be exploring a new area of our natural satellite that has not been touched before: the lunar south pole. There, exist craters in permanent shadow that have huge implications for permanent settlement on the moon. They have plenty of ice water. Given their darkness, it is […]
The 24 Ways To Be Compatible With Your Romantic Partner, According To Psychologists
There are 24 factors that are important for compatibility in romantic relationships: that’s according to a new study, which also mapped those factors against different “love styles” to try to figure out what similarities are most important to loved-up couples. “Most studies in this area tend to focus on desirable features in a romantic or […]
Main Explanation For The Rise Of Continents Challenged By New Study
The reason why continents mostly stand above sea level is believed to be that continental crust is lower in iron and more oxidized than oceanic crust. This makes continents more buoyant over the Earth’s mantle. The difference in composition is poorly understood, but a popular hypothesis suggested that garnet formation was key to this. Now, […]
Common Bacteria Could Be The Main Cause Of Parkinson’s Disease
Infection with certain bacteria from the Desulfovibrio genus triggers the formation of protein aggregates in nematode worms, a new study reveals. The findings bolster previous research showing Desulfovibrio abundance correlates with the severity of Parkinson’s symptoms. Not all Parkinson’s cases can be blamed on the bacteria, but the authors think the majority of people affected […]
Hearing A Sound With Positive Associations While Sleeping Could Help Silence Nightmares
Listening to a particular sound while we sleep could help to stem nightmares, research has suggested. It doesn’t have to be a special sort of sound, it can be literally anything – we just have to associate it with a positive daytime experience, and bingo, we may find ourselves sleeping more sweetly as a result. […]
Tool Use Confirmed In Australia’s Assassin Bugs That Use Resin To Snag Prey
When it comes to murdering things, assassin bugs don’t mess around. Famous for wearing the corpses of their victims as accessories, they’ve now been given an extra murderous accolade as research has found evidence for tool use in their hunting strategy. The research centered around an Australian group of assassin bugs, Gorareduvius sp., that are […]
Never-Before-Seen Frog Behavior Suggests They Could Be Plant Pollinators
The relationships between plants and their pollinators, typically insects, is well documented, especially given the effect of disease, climate change, and pesticides on the welfare of the creatures involved. However, researchers in Brazil have now discovered a new relationship between a plant and a very surprising creature. The Izecksohn’s Brazilian treefrog (Xenohyla truncata) has been […]
Chance Genetic Changes 1 Million Years Ago Could Have Kicked Off Human Brain Evolution
A chance rearrangement of the human genome over a million years ago probably kick-started the evolution of modern humans from our primate ancestors. A recent study explains why human DNA contains sections, many of which are involved in brain development, that are unique to us and are not shared with even our closest relatives, chimpanzees. […]
Humans Inherited Bigger Noses From Neanderthals
If you’re unhappy with the size of your nose then you now have someone to blame, as new research has revealed that certain genes responsible for increasing schnoz length can be traced back to our extinct Neanderthal cousins. According to the study authors, the ancient hominids may have evolved large noses to help them cope […]
Why Is Nature Full Of Patterns?
This article first appeared in Issue 7 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. In science, we often stumble upon profound questions about what is real and what is perceived. Quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle is a fan favorite, for example. A more subtle question we might encounter is about naturally occurring patterns. From snowflakes […]
