Women continue to be massively underrepresented across fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). A damning new report from UNESCO and the G20 confirms this reality, showing that even with increased awareness of the disparity and drives for change, the situation has only improved very slightly since 2005, when 19 percent of STEM jobs […]
There’s A New “Most Canadian” Animal – And It’s Probably Not What You Expect
Beaver, moose, maybe a polar bear – all distinctly Canadian, right? They’re certainly icons of the North American nation, but when it comes to evolutionary distinctiveness, these animals are by no means the “most Canadian”. It turns out, by this metric, the spiny softshell turtle is in fact Canada’s most unique terrestrial animal. In a […]
The Portal Has Opened In A New US City, As If We Didn’t Learn From Last Time
The Portal – the interactive art installation that connected New York City to Dublin earlier this year and was briefly shut down due to “inappropriate behavior” and other shenanigans (we’re looking at you, Dublin) – has been relocated from NYC to Philadelphia’s Love Park, officially known as John F. Kennedy Plaza. The Portal, which stands […]
What Do Americans Fear In 2024? New Survey Shows Political Worries Are Sky High
The latest edition of the “fear study” shows that the US has become increasingly afraid and nervous over the past decade – especially when it comes to political concerns. As part of the Chapman University Survey of American Fears, political scientists and sociologists have been tracking the greatest fears of the American population for 10 […]
Teenagers Publish Trigonometric Proof Of Pythagoras’ Theorem Once Considered Impossible
High school students Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson did something in 2023 that most mathematicians had thought impossible: They discovered a way to prove Pythagoras’ theorem using trigonometry that did not depend on circular reasoning. Now, they have published their work in a peer-reviewed academic paper, while also providing another four such proofs. Pythagoras’ theorem […]
Halloween Traditionally Doubles Up As A Cross-Quarter Day – But What Exactly Is That?
Spooky season is always a good excuse for a celebration, but did you know Halloween also occurs around the same time as an annual astronomical event? That’s right – it’s traditionally considered a cross-quarter day (although that timing is a little off from the “true” day – we’ll get into that later). Cross-quarter days are […]
Why We Fear The Dark – And How To Overcome It
Objectively speaking, there is nothing intrinsically dangerous about darkness. Sure, you might bump into things a bit more if you’re not used to the surroundings, but that’s hardly cause for a panic attack – and yet, for an estimated one in nine US adults, that’s precisely the kind of reaction it can elicit. The question […]
Will We All Be Eating Insects In The Future? Find Out More In Issue 28 Of CURIOUS – Out Now
Issue 28 (November 2024) of CURIOUS is out now, bringing you science highlights for the month plus deep dives into intriguing topics, interviews, exclusives, diary dates, and explanations for some of Earth’s most perplexing natural phenomena and landscapes. Read Issue 28 of our digital magazine now by clicking below! Use the arrows to navigate or […]
Science And The Séance: Why Victorian Scientists Took Ghosts Seriously
On July 23, 1924, the editor of Scientific American, O.D. Munn, and six members of a scientific investigative committee gathered in a small room on the fourth floor of 10 Lime Street, Boston. It was hot and uncomfortable, after all, the city was experiencing a heat wave. But if there was any unease among the committee […]
New Drugs, Heart Health, And Chimpanzees – Here’s The Latest In Menopause Research
Menopause: it’s a natural part of aging that affects millions of people each year, and yet there’s still plenty that we don’t know about it. It’s widely considered to be understudied and even ignored in the majority of studies investigating the biology of aging. That’s not to say there’s no research on the subject at […]
Smallest Known Complete Dinosaur Eggs Found, First “Black Hole Triple” Challenges Models Of How Giant Stars Die, And Much More This Week
This week, the world’s longest venomous snake, the king cobra, has been found to be four separate species, a new carbon capture design is a major step forward in removing CO2 from the air, and a new implant can detect opioid overdose, give lifesaving drugs, and even call for help. Finally, we ask a psychologist […]
What Is The Rarest Gemstone?
The world’s rarest gemstone is made of kyawthuite, a transparent reddish-orange mineral that’s known from just one sample housed at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. It was retrieved near Mogok, Myanmar, and recognized in 2015 by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), whose goal it is to standardize the nomenclature of the 5,000+ […]
Many People Still Believe The Biblical Myth About Human Ribs
Most people are born with 12 ribs on each side of the body, making a total of 24 ribs. Despite the prolific misconception, this is the same for men and women. This myth is often attributed to the biblical story of Eve being made from one of Adam’s ribs. One of the first people in […]
“Poop Milkshakes” Might Give C-Section Babies A Gut Microbiome Boost
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure – and in the case of early results from an ongoing clinical trial involving the gut microbiomes of babies born by cesarean section, that treasure might just be a mixture of milk and poop. Whether or not a baby is born vaginally or by c-section is believed to […]
What Are Axolotls?
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Turns Out Burmese Pythons Can Swallow Much Bigger Prey Than We Realized – *Gulp*
If you already thought that Burmese pythons could stretch their elastic jaws inexplicably far, then boy have we got a surprise for you. Turns out they can open even wider than previously thought, and as a result can bring down bigger prey. There’s really not much that isn’t on the menu… Burmese pythons are an […]
Breakthrough Nanomedicine Could Capture Whole Course Of Antibiotics In One Single Dose
Let’s face it: antibiotics – incredible, lifesaving innovations that they are – can be really annoying to take. Courses can be long, doses may have to be carefully timed around meals, and you might have to lay off certain foods and drinks. Wouldn’t it be great if you could load up on all the antibiotics […]
We Can All Learn Echolocation – And Restructure Our Brains – In Just 3 Months
Some humans have what appears to be a real superpower – they can use sound to “see” in a similar way to Marvel’s Daredevil. In fact, human echolocation has been so advanced that some people have been able to do things like ride bikes or even play ball games. And now researchers have found a […]
Hardcore Hornets Can Drink Alcohol All Week Without Getting Wasted
Sorry Charli XCX, we think we’ve found a new 365 party girl: the oriental hornet. According to a new study, this big bug has a seriously high tolerance for alcohol. More so, in fact, than any other animal – even when given some very highly concentrated hooch. Consuming low levels of alcohol is actually pretty […]
Fantastic Pit: Deepest Vertical Pit Cave In Mainland US Plunges 179 Meters
In the dank depths of Ellison’s Cave, you can find two of the deepest freefall pits in mainland US: Fantastic Pit, which plunges vertically for 179 meters (586 feet); and Incredible Pit, an equally dizzying 134 meters (440 feet) deep. Ellison’s Cave is located on Pigeon Mountain among the Appalachian Plateaus of Northwest Georgia. The […]
