Arguably some of the most iconic archaeological artifacts ever to come out of Mesoamerica, the famous Aztec crystal skulls have inspired countless blockhead theories about alien sculptors, psychic technologies, and magic stones. In reality, however, the supposed pre-Columbian relics might just be cheap knock-offs sold by a nineteenth-century French conman. The Story Of The Crystal […]
Does Our Sporting Future Lie Beyond Earth’s Atmosphere?
This article first appeared in Issue 4 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. For all of human history, and probably before, people have tried to put any new environment or technology to use for the purposes of food, alcohol, sex, or sport. It’s unlikely space will be any different. Growing food in space has turned out […]
“Flamingo” The Rescue Pigeon Is A Reminder To Never Dye Birds
A domestic king pigeon was recently discovered by a bird rescue group after it had been deliberately dyed pink and released into the wild. Flamingo, as the unlucky pigeon has been named, has it doubly rough. As a domestic bird, it’s not prepared for the realities of life in the wild, making it vulnerable to […]
Which Material Has The Highest Melting Point? The Answer’s Complex
The question of which substance has the highest melting point sounds simple, but the answer turns out to be “it depends”. Perhaps you were told the answer is tungsten in high school chemistry class, as we were, but it’s not that simple. For one thing, as chemistry teachers and textbooks really should know, a material’s […]
How To Tell If That Rock You Found Is Actually A Meteorite (And If You Can Keep It)
If you’ve discovered an unusual rock you think might be a meteorite but aren’t sure where to start, try your hand at some of these identification methods. Meteorites are fragments of rock from a meteoroid, asteroid, or even a comet that passes through a planet’s atmosphere, ending up on the surface. There are three main […]
Suspected Spy Craft Seen Flying Over US Is Lost Weather Balloon, Chinese Officials Say
A UFO spotted over US airspace on Thursday, suspected of being a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon, has now been identified by Chinese officials in an explanation all too familiar with conspiracy theorists: the object is apparently a rogue weather balloon. “It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” a spokesperson from the […]
The First Chiropractor Claimed The Treatment Was Inspired By A Ghost
Old Dad Chiro was the name the father of chiropractic, Daniel David Palmer, gave himself. The Canadian was a successful beekeeper, spiritualist and practitioner of magnetic medicine, and actually credited the early ideas of chiropractic to the ghost of a dead doctor he chatted with on several occasions. Chiropractic treatment isn’t a medical therapy, but […]
Site Of Ancient Egyptian “Great Revolt”, Recorded On Rosetta Stone, Finally Discovered
The Rosetta Stone, the ancient slab that finally allowed modern archaeologists to crack hieroglyphs, is more famous today for how its message is written than what the message actually says. But just like any historical document, it contains a wealth of information about life in Ptolemaic Egypt – the good and the bad. One such […]
How To Tell Real Gold From Fool’s Gold
If you’re in the jewelry game, or a treasure hunter, you may be familiar with the term “fool’s gold”. Referring to the mineral pyrite, fool’s gold is named as such because of its uncanny resemblance to real gold. While gold is a valuable metal, its evil twin pyrite is virtually worthless, making cases of mistaken […]
The Devastating Kramatorsk Radiological Accident Almost Killed An Entire Apartment Block
Recently, alarm bells rang after a mining company in Australia misplaced a tiny radioactive cylinder somewhere along its delivery route. An intense hunt was started and the team managed to recover the materials, which experts likened to finding a “needle in a haystack”. For those few days, a health warning was in place and a […]
The World’s First Environmental Clean-Up Happened 400 Million Years Ago
One of the biggest environmental challenges today is to treat land that is contaminated by toxic elements from industrial activity, elements like arsenic, antimony and tungsten. But these same elements can be brought to the Earth’s surface by natural processes such as the bubbling up of hot springs. So it is valuable to understand how […]
Is Scorpion Venom Really The Most Expensive Liquid In The World?
This article first appeared in Issue 4 of our free digital magazine CURIOUS. Few among us can resist the allure of a get-rich-quick scheme, and upon hearing that a modestly sized arachnid has “liquid gold” dripping from its tail you might find your eyes turning to dollar signs. Could it be that simply milking a few […]
Jupiter Officially Has 12 New Moons
The largest planet in the Solar System is now officially the local big dog when it comes to collecting moons, with a dozen new satellites confirmed to be in orbit around Jupiter. The addition of these 12 previously unknown moons brings the gas giant’s total count to 92, overtaking Saturn’s impressive stash of 83 orbiting […]
Massachusetts Bill Proposes Prisoners Could Trade Organs For Less Prison Time
A new bill proposed by Massachusetts Democrats proposes that prisoners could be offered a choice to donate their organs or bone marrow in exchange for up to a year off their prison sentence. Prisoners currently cannot donate organs in most states, except for a few outliers in which they can donate to close family members, […]
Increased Rocket Launches Could Undo The Ozone Layer’s Recovery
Humans’ curiosity has seen the space industry explode in the 21st century, as thirst for adventure, discovery, and internet memes has grown. Rocket launches are now ferrying satellites into orbit, sending rovers to Mars, and even giving William Shatner a harrowing account of the overview effect. Great things have been achieved off of humans’ forays […]
Human “Mini Brains” Merge With Injured Rat Brain Tissue And Respond To Light
“Mini brains” composed of lab-grown human cells can integrate into injured rat brains and respond to visual stimuli, a new study has reported. Previous research has shown that integration into developing brains was possible, but this new study is the first to demonstrate the use of this approach to repair a brain injury. Human brain […]
Lost Interview With Creator Of Big Bang Theory Rediscovered After 60 Years
The only known filmed interview with Georges Lemaître, the Catholic priest and physicist who originally proposed the Big Bang theory back in 1931, has finally been rediscovered – nearly 60 years after it was originally aired on Belgian TV. “What a gem, this interview,” Thomas Hertog, cosmologist and professor of theoretical physics at KU Leuven, […]
Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found Weighed The Same As An Adult Man
Those with dreams of getting rich quick might be willing to try anything from necropants to Bitcoin but unlike the uncertain world of Internet investments, gold famously holds its value. Unfortunately just because you find the biggest nugget in history does not mean you will be set for life. Even today if you pan for […]
Scientists Have Discovered A New Type Of Ice, And It’s A Mess
A new type of ice is changing our understanding of water, as scientists discovered a frozen structure that more closely mirrors the molecular arrangement of a liquid, despite being a solid. The new ice type is amorphous, to use a polite phrase, which essentially means the organization of its molecules is a mess. Something to […]
Why Do Some People Fear Blood, While Others Love Gory Films?
The sight of blood and gore can provoke a vastly different response from person to person – while some can binge-watch splatter films with glee, some people can’t bear the thought of the crimson life juice without fainting. Why, if we all (hopefully) have blood coursing through our bodies as we speak, is it such […]
