Chaka the fairy penguin was happily living life at Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park when his keepers noticed he was looking a little wobbly on his flippers. To find out what was going on, the care team took him to Cave Veterinary Specialists for an MRI scan, representing a world first for this species. Fairy […]
The World’s Largest Cave Could Fit A 40-Story Skyscraper Inside
Sitting completely undisturbed until as recently as 2009, Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam dates back to the Pliocene or late Miocene some 2 to 5 million years ago. The 5-kilometer (3-mile) long cave system boasts 200-meter (656-foot) high ceilings, making it by far the largest cave ever discovered on Earth. The cave is so […]
Giving Your Puppies Table Scraps Might Be Good For Their Tummies
Chronic enteropathy (CE), the name for gastrointestinal disorders lasting three weeks or longer, is a common problem in older dogs. Investigating potential causes and factors, a team has found that diet at a younger age may play a role in these problems in later life. “Diet has a key role in the homeostasis of the […]
ChatGPT Announces New “Incognito” Mode
OpenAI have announced a new “incognito” mode that will stop your chats from being used in the AI training sets. They claim this will improve user privacy and allow users to choose which conversations will be saved, potentially opening their tools up to companies that deal with sensitive data. Since their eruption into the […]
Modern-Day Brits Have Pictish Ancestors – And We Finally Know Where They Came From
Among the most enigmatic of ancient cultures, the Picts are known to have established the earliest kingdoms in eastern Scotland yet left behind agonizingly little evidence relating to their culture or origins. However, after analyzing the genomes of ancient Pictish skeletons, researchers have finally revealed where these mysterious people came from while also demonstrating that […]
NASA Probes Have Been Sending Out Signals For Decades. Here’s When We Could Receive A Reply
A new study that has looked at how far signals from NASA probes have reached into the galaxy has found that the earliest we could expect a reply is 2029. The team looked a number of probes sent out by the US space agency, including Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, and […]
What Are These Mysterious 5,000-Year-Old Geometric Stone Balls?
More than 200 years ago, mysterious stone balls began to be unearthed in the UK. These oddly geometric stones date back to the Neolithic period, approximately 5,000 years ago. With the majority appearing in Aberdeen, Scotland, the now 500-strong collection has been found in Ireland, England, and even Norway. Made from various types of stone […]
What Are The Absolute Worst Ways To Die? Five More Grim Answers From Science
A while back we brought you the absolute worst ways to die according to science, including a notorious diving bell accident and people’s heads shattering after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Well since then we’ve found a lot more terrible ways to die, so that you might try to avoid them. Enjoy. Advertisement Hisashi Ouchi […]
5,400-Year-Old Cypress Could Soon Be Identified As The World’s Oldest Tree
Deep in a protected ancient forest in southern Chile sits an enormous tree that has existed for thousands of years. Now the “Great Grandfather” tree could soon be recognized as the world’s oldest tree. The Great Grandfather (Gran Abuelo), or Alerce Milenario, is a remarkable specimen. It is an alerce tree, a Patagonian Cypress tree […]
Hay Fever Is Widespread, But Do You Know About Pollen Food Syndrome?
Summer is on its way, and as those with annual hay fever across the land reach for their antihistamines and tissue supplies, parts of the world may also experience “pollen bombs” that make their symptoms even worse. But there is also a lesser-known form of allergy that may add to some people’s frustrations. Pollen food […]
Number Of Known Repeating Fast Radio Bursts Doubles Thanks To One Study
When the first repeating Fast Radio Burst (FRB) was discovered in 2016, astronomers thought it might be a coincidence or an anomaly. A further 24 had been reported prior to this week, ruling both those scenarios out. Now, a single paper has doubled the total to 50 thanks to the efforts of the Canadian Hydrogen […]
A 130-Year-Old Dissection Of The Human Nervous System Hangs In Pennsylvania
Harriet Cole’s body was taken to the Hahnemann Medical School’s anatomy department in 1888, where it’s believed that Rubus B Weaver then carried out a delicate and lengthy procedure to create a complete dissection of the human cerebro-spinal nervous system. It was celebrated within the academic community as an achievement for the insights it yielded […]
Mount Thor Is The World’s Largest Vertical Drop And It Is Terrifying
Standing at 1,675 m (5,495 ft) tall, Mount Thor’s height is not particularly impressive for Canada’s mountains, but how it reaches that height is what makes Mount Thor so imposing – it has the world’s largest vertical drop. At 1,250 m (4,100 ft), its cliff face in Auyuittuq National Park plummets straight downwards, a sheer […]
Barn Owls And Ghosts Have Something Important In Common
What would you do if you encountered a shimmering white ghost on a moonlit night? Would you instantly run, or would the shock of such a scene freeze you to the spot as you struggled to make sense of such a thing? Well, if your answer is the second response then you have something in […]
Another Pandemic Will Come And We Are Not Ready, UK Scientists Warn
More pandemics are coming, and the UK is woefully underprepared: that’s the stark warning from top scientists as the world continues to feel the impact of COVID-19. We’ve always known that it was not a one-off event, but there is a fear that lessons are not being learned and that the next pandemic could be […]
Quasar Formation Mystery Solved After 60 Years
The question of why some galaxies have quasars at their core, and most do not, has finally been largely answered. The explanation indicates that in the far distant future, the Milky Way may host a quasar, with big implications for its development. The discovery of immensely bright objects in the distant universe caused great consternation […]
Researchers Discover 18th-Century Clay Tobacco Pipes Were Used As Weapons And Surgical Tools
Tobacco pipes were one of the first mass-produced, disposable objects in Britain. Through contact with indigenous peoples of the Americas, tobacco pipes and tobacco were introduced to Europe as early as the 16th century, but had been used in the Americas for centuries before this. Pipes were adapted for European tastes using European materials, and […]
Oral Sex Is Now The Leading Risk Factor For Throat Cancer
Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the west, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic. This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer (the area of the tonsils and back of the throat). […]
Humans Have Been Lighting Torches Inside This Spanish Cave For 41,000 Years
A cave in southern Spain has been continuously visited by humans for over 40,000 years, new research has revealed. After analyzing charcoal and soot left by the torches that have lit the cavern since time immemorial, the study authors confirmed that the spot saw more prehistoric incursions than any cave other in Europe. Located in […]
Private Lunar Lander Lost Communication And Likely Crashed On The Moon
The Hakuto-R Mission 1 Moon lander, which aimed to be the first private lander on the Moon, has likely crashed into the Moon’s surface, according to its creators. The lander began its four month journey in December 2022, being launched by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Without the annoyance of having to keep astronauts alive, […]
