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In a plot straight out of pretty much any Dan Brown book, ancient sketches by Leonardo da Vinci have revealed the location of secret tunnels underneath a medieval castle in Milan, Italy. In the 15th century CE, Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, ordered a fortification be built on the remains of one built in the […]

Did you know that flies hate cocaine? These well-adapted creatures have evolved to avoid things that might do them harm by developing a distaste for bitter things. Knock out those receptors, however, and it’s a very different story as they, just like humans, become really rather partial to a spot of cocaine. Drosophila, a kind […]

Ever wondered why you never see great white sharks in aquariums? It can’t be their size alone, we keep orcas in captivity. So what makes great whites different? The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is one of the ocean’s most powerful and iconic apex predators, known for its massive size, serrated teeth, and a reputation […]

Whether on the playground, in the boardroom, or at formal events, the suit and tie have long symbolized professionalism and style. But it might be time to reconsider the tie. A 2018 study published in the journal Neuroradiology suggests that wearing a tie can restrict blood flow to the brain, potentially causing headaches, dizziness, and […]

“Come on little one,” John Hammond croons to a baby Velociraptor in Jurassic Park. It enters the world all pathetic and gooey, like all good baby animals do, but what do we actually know about dinosaur reproduction? Were there lots of eggs, or just a few in each clutch? How did they stay warm? And […]

We might know scarily little about what lies within our oceans, but one thing we have learnt is that it appears to be absolutely chocka with freaky-looking little weirdos – and cookiecutter sharks are the perfect example. This strange group of sea critters consists of two species: the smalltooth cookiecutter shark, often shortened to just […]

The very first people to set foot in South America belonged to a previously unknown group of hunter-gatherers that later disappeared without a trace, a new study suggests. Initially crossing the land bridge from Central America to northern Colombia some 6,000 years ago, this enigmatic population is completely unrelated to any South American community that […]

A performance of Austrian composer Johann Strauss II’s The Blue Danube was beamed into space for an unusual audience over the weekend. The waltz, composed in 1866, was recorded by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra before being sent over 24.9 billion kilometers (15.5 billion miles) to NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft. If you’re a sci-fi fan, you […]

Conservation projects can be tough, often in extreme conditions, against all odds, and even with species right on the brink of extinction. However, they can also be extremely successful, with protected areas and laws leading population numbers to bounce back. One area where this is happening is Blue Spring State Park in Florida, now home […]

The Milky Way and Andromeda are traveling towards each other; this is a fact that we have known for a long time. Over the decades, estimates of the speed and simulations have suggested that the two were going to collide within 5 billion years. But new research argues quite the opposite. A team found that […]

Take a look at any satellite image of Scotland and you’ll hopefully see a giant scar running diagonally through its upper reaches from northeast to southwest. It’s a colossal reminder that very few things on planet Earth ever remain unchanged – including its seemingly sturdy landmasses. This gigantic geological feature is known as the Great […]

Astronomers are puzzled after detecting an unusual, repeating long-period transient (LPT) signal emitted deep in the Galactic Plane. Last year, a team from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, found the strange signal using the ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Country in Australia. The object, known as ASKAP J1832-0911, appears to emit a pulse of radio […]

If you look up into the clear night sky in the Northern Hemisphere, you will see the star Polaris, more commonly known as the North Star.  Sitting around 1 degree away from the geographic North Pole, this helpfully bright star has been used in navigation (of the Northern Hemisphere) for centuries. In the Southern Hemisphere, […]

Take a quick peek down at your hands. Are your nails green? If so, there are a couple of possibilities: either you’re rocking a funky verdant manicure, in which case you’d probably remember that; or, it’s the much less pleasant option of green nail syndrome. What causes green nail syndrome? Technically known as chloronychia, and […]

The difference between a million and a billion is pretty difficult to wrap your head around. Sure, in one sense it is simply adding on a few zeroes at the end of a number, but when you compare the two numbers by looking at real-world objects the difference is pretty stark. For classic example, a […]

A creeping darkness is settling over the ocean’s photic zone. While the full consequences are not yet clear, scientists say the trend is real and “a genuine cause for concern.” The photic zone is the wonderful in-between world where sunlight provides energy to the ocean before it plunges into absolute darkness. Even at night, the […]

Seals are pretty incredible mammals. Not only do they possess the lung capacity to make epic dives and are caring mothers, but they also survive in some pretty testing conditions. Down deep in the ocean, there is very little light, and the water can be very cloudy, so how are these pinnipeds navigating? One research […]

Issue 35 (June 2025) 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 35 of our digital magazine now by clicking below! Use the arrows to navigate or […]

Water fluoridation has arguably never been a hotter topic in US political and scientific circles. Since first being introduced in Michigan in 1945, the addition of fluoride to public drinking water has been celebrated as a big win for oral health, but has also attracted fierce criticism. Now, with moves being made to ban fluoridation, […]

A Chinese paraglider is thankful to be back on solid ground after unintentionally soaring to an altitude referred to as the “death zone“. Peng Yujiang, 55, was testing out some new equipment on the ground, with no intention of flying, when a strong updraft unexpectedly swept him skywards to a height of more than 8,500 […]