High-tech tags are revealing a side of the Hector’s dolphin the world rarely sees – its showstopping acrobatics beneath New Zealand’s waters. At just 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) long, Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori) are the smallest marine dolphins in Earth’s seas. They are not to be confused with other record-holding small cetaceans, like the vaquita, […]
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Forget Saving Earth, NASA Wants Us To Save The Moon From Asteroid 2024 YR4
A large asteroid strike on the Moon could have negative consequences for the artificial satellites we now depend on. That being the case, a NASA-led team has looked into the options for preventing Asteroid 2024 YR4 from making such an impact in 2032. Contrary to the usual conclusions that asteroids should be diverted, not destroyed, […]
Tools And Butchery Suggest Human Ancestors Reached India 2.95 Million Years Ago
Prior to the start of the Ice Age, a period of global warming may have led to a northward shift of the monsoon rains, allowing prehistoric hominins to migrate out of Africa before crossing the Kazakh Steppe and the Hindu Kush, finally reaching northern India almost 3 million years ago. At least, that’s the theory […]
Scientists Spot The First-Ever Giant Whale Shark With Severe Spinal Deformation Off US Coast
While keeping tabs on the whale sharks around the US coast, scientists came across one individual with an unusual bent back, curved like a curly S towards its tail. They believe the animal might have a form of kyphoscoliosis, making it the first whale shark with a spinal deformity ever recorded. The 6-meter (nearly 20-foot) […]
IFLScience We Have Questions: Can Transplants Change Your Personality?
There’s a strange phenomenon reported among some recipients of organ transplants whereby people report altered memories, tastes, and personality changes. A particularly curious example included a woman who, having never much liked chicken nuggets, found herself compelled to eat them after receiving an organ from a man who had nuggets on his person when he […]
Elk Rutting Season Returns To US, As National Parks Warn To Keep Your Distance
Across North America, elk are gearing up for their annual breeding season, known as the rut. As exciting a spectacle as it may be to behold, visitors to a number of national parks are being warned to keep their distance from the amorous elk, which are especially unpredictable during this time. The rest of this […]
Does 10,000 Hours Of Practice Really Make An Expert?
Practice, the saying goes, makes perfect. And, if you believe a common piece of wisdom, it’s a specific amount of practice: 10,000 hours. Make that threshold, the advice goes, and you will achieve expertise, no matter how low your skill level at the start. It’s an attractive idea, not least because it implies that greatness […]
The World’s Smallest Snake Went Missing For 20 Years: Meet The Critically Endangered Barbados Threadsnake
For some ophiophobes, even the thought of a snake is enough to set pulses racing. But while there might be something to fear from the pythons and king cobras of the world, surely most people could be persuaded to enjoy the world’s smallest snake? Meet the Barbados threadsnake. The rest of this article is behind […]
China’s First Emperor Sent A Bunch Of Alchemists To Find The Elixir Of Immortality
The man who first unified China in 221 BCE was so determined to live forever that he commanded a group of alchemists to venture to a mythical mountain in search of the source of eternal youth. Evidence of this harebrained mission has now been discovered on the shore of Gyaring Lake on the Tibetan Plateau, […]
In The 1820s, Eight Hours Of Sunlight Changed The History Of Science And Art Forever
Two centuries ago, a French inventor gazed out of his window in Saint-Loup-de-Varennes and captured a defining moment in the history of science (not to mention art). As the sunlight poured down on the rooftops ahead, Nicéphore Niépce set up a peculiar contraption on his windowsill: a darkened box holding a pewter plate coated with […]
Japan Lost Contact With “Planet C” Spacecraft, Leaving Humanity With No Presence Around Venus
Fifteen years after launch, Japan has announced the end of the “Planet C” mission, leaving humanity with no presence around Venus. In May 2010, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the “Planet C” spacecraft – also known as “Akatsuki” or the Venus Climate Orbiter – towards Earth’s “sister planet”. The early stages of the mission […]
Mysterious Bust Discovered In Ancient Egyptian Temple. Are We Getting Closer To Finding Cleopatra?
For 20 years, National Geographic explorer and archaeologist Kathleen Martínez has been on a mission to find Cleopatra. It’s the sort of thing someone might tell you, only for you to roll your eyes and think “you and every other archaeologist,” but Martínez has been piecing together some very curious finds discovered in places that […]
Return Of The Blob? Unusual Conditions In North Pacific Ocean Now Stretch From US Coast To Japan
From plankton to seabirds, it’s bad news for foodwebs in the Pacific and coastal environments: there are some hints that the Blob may be back for another round. Clues about the possible reemergence of the Blob – a recurring Pacific marine heatwave – can be seen in this summer’s global ocean data. In August 2025, […]
In World First Sighting, Saucy Leopard Sharks Caught Having “Threesome” On Seafloor
Inaccessible environments and secretive species make discovering certain aspects of animal biology challenging. However, new research has revealed something surprising about the mating habits of leopard sharks. Never-before-seen behavior filmed in the wild has shown that in the leopard shark world, it takes more than two to tango. The rest of this article is behind […]
Perovskite Camera That Can Detect Individual Gamma Rays Reveals The Human Body From The Inside
High energy scans or the body looking for tumors or infections could be greatly improved by adopting perovskite detectors instead of the fragile or low-resolution options currently in use, a new study reports. The process would not only make the diagnosis of health threats more accurate, but reduce exposure to radiation that can cause problems […]
At 6.2 Meters, Lolong Was The Largest Crocodile Ever Recorded And Captured
Measuring 6.17 meters (20 feet and 3 inches) from snout to tail, Lolong was the largest crocodile ever caught, measured, and placed in captivity. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content. The male saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) was officially measured in November 2011, […]
Ancient Poetry Praising Famous Sultan Saladin Linked To Recently Rediscovered Supernova Of 1181
A poem of praise for the famous sultan Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (Saladin) has been misdated, a new paper argues, and refers not to an unusually close planetary conjunction but to the supernova of 1181. If the claim is correct, the poem’s words could be of scientific value to astronomers hoping to establish how […]
How Is The World Is Going To End Tomorrow, According To Conspiracy Theorists?
In the latest of many, many predictions of the end of the world, the Earth is set to end on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, according to a conspiracy theory going wild on TikTok and X. Every now and then, someone (sometimes, but not always, Isaac Newton) suggests that the world is about to end in […]
Forget Alien Spacecrafts: Could Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Be A Planet-Forming Seed?
Fast-moving objects like interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS may be planet-forming seeds, potentially helping to solve an old Solar System mystery. On July 1, 2025, astronomers spotted an object moving through the Solar System at nearly twice the velocity of previous interstellar visitors ‘Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. The object, which was confirmed to be an interstellar comet […]
6 Million Years Ago, These Wolf-Sized Otters Were The Largest Carnivores In Their Ecosystem
Imagine yourself by a stream in Shuitangba, China, 6 million years ago. The birds are singing, the Sun is shining, and you’ve just woken up to find a wolf-sized otter sniffing your toes. That impressive beast is Siamogale melilutra, and it’s the largest known carnivore in its ecosystem. The rest of this article is behind […]