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Lightning is a major threat to big trees, even where forest fires are rare. However, natural selection is a powerful force, and one species of forest giant has learned to make lemonade out of life’s lemons, new research suggests. Not only have they become able to survive lightning strikes that kill others, their health is […]

People who call their pets “fur babies” may be more correct than they realize, according to a new paper linking rising rates of dog ownership with decreasing birth rates. Before you go blaming pet ownership for some nonexistent existential threat, however – we know you’re reading, Elon – rest assured that the causality behind this […]

Welcome back to the weird world of animal taxonomy. Whether you’ve seen a spider and mistakenly referred to it as an insect or got caught in the classic ape vs monkey debate, we’re here to set your mind straight. This week’s taxonomy of choice: bugs and insects. ADVERTISEMENT Now it may surprise you to learn […]

An Australian man described as a “science nerd” may face jail time, after attempting to collect all the elements in the periodic table. ADVERTISEMENT The periodic table is an arrangement of all the known elements, from hydrogen to oganesson. While collecting the whole lot (even if some only last for microseconds before decaying) may seem […]

Greco-Roman sculptors created artworks with more than just visual beauty in mind, and strove to indulge all of the senses in their masterpieces. According to new research, this also included the sense of smell, which was aroused by smothering ancient statues in rose-scented perfumes and other delightful fragrances. ADVERTISEMENT “This idea of scented statues has […]

Thirty-six years after the first hints of auroral activity on the ice giant, astronomers have captured Neptune’s aurorae for the first time. Thanks to JWST, the planet’s elusive glow has been measured and it’s not the only new insight these observations have delivered. The planet is colder now than back in 1989 when Voyager 2 […]

NASA’s Perseverance Rover has stumbled across a rather intriguing rock on the rim of the Jezero Crater on Mars. The rock, which was closely examined and photographed by the rover, appears to be made up of hundreds of strange, spherical-shaped objects, dubbed “blueberries” when they were previously seen on the Red Planet. ADVERTISEMENT Just over […]

A buoyancy problem involving a ping pong ball, an iron ball, a few strings, some water, and a set of scales is causing a few arguments on Reddit where it was posted. ADVERTISEMENT “Where would the scale tip? On the left is a steel ball, on the right a ping-pong ball,” Reddit user Veiy wrote, […]

Acne affects many of us at one point or another, and most will be begrudgingly familiar with all of the cleansers, creams, and pills that aim to clear it up – but is there anything new on the horizon? What is acne? ADVERTISEMENT Acne is a condition in which the pores in the skin become […]

Anyone else noticed we’re hearing a lot more about beef tallow these days? The animal fat has been used in cooking and for other purposes for centuries, but it’s definitely enjoying a resurgence at the moment. This naturally got us wondering – what’s behind it all? What is beef tallow? ADVERTISEMENT Tallow is a type […]

A new species of therizinosaur has been discovered in Mongolia, dating back to around 90 million years ago. Named Duonychus tsogtbaatari, it’s thrown something of a curve ball for palaeontologists, as unlike all other therizinosaurs found to dates, this prehistoric giant had just two fingers instead of three. ADVERTISEMENT In 2012, workers building a pipeline […]

What if the raw power of lava could be transformed into the building material of the future? That’s the bold idea being toyed with by Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, owner and founder of the firm s.ap architects in Reykjavík.  ADVERTISEMENT Their latest endeavor, Lavaforming, is a hypothetical design project exploring whether lava from Iceland’s volcanoes could be used […]

They say if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. Visitors to Napa County, California, can put that theory to the test because – good news! – Lake Berryessa’s glory hole is back in action. ADVERTISEMENT That’s the Morning Glory Spillway, to be exact: a massive, swirling drain at Monticello Dam […]

The universe is expanding at an accelerated rate and our current best theories to explain this is a mysterious form of energy called “dark energy” that by its very existence is pushing the universe to expand with acceleration – although we don’t really know what dark energy is. For the last several decades, the leading […]

Since Prototaxites were discovered in the fossil record in 1843, scientists have debated whether they were early land plants, giant fungi, algae, or a whole new kingdom of life. Some of these options have already been ruled out, and they’re now widely considered to have been a type of fungus. However, one species of Prototaxites has […]

Birders in Michigan are scratching their heads over unusual photos of a snowy owl. The animal is perfectly perched on a telegraph pole, but instead of snow white and black feathers, the owl’s feathers are colored orange.  ADVERTISEMENT Spotted in Huron County, the bird was photographed by amateur wildlife photographer Julie Maggert. Since sharing the […]

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that chickens don’t belong on boats. That being the case, it’s sometimes said that sailors can keep their eggs fresh on long voyages by storing them with the pointy side down – but is there any solid science behind this yolk tale? ADVERTISEMENT As far […]

People across Europe were pretty confused last night, after a giant blue swirl appeared in the sky, lasting several minutes. Rather than a UFO or an ambiguous sign from a vengeful god, the spiral pattern is believed to have been caused by the launch of SpaceX’s classified NROL-69 Mission. ADVERTISEMENT “On Monday, March 24 at […]

Greenland has expanded its rocky coastline by approximately 1,620 kilometers (~1,000 miles) within just two decades. While countries typically gain new land through military conquests, territorial treaties, or land reclamation projects, Greenland’s expansion has occurred in a far more sobering way: the relentless melting of its glaciers. ADVERTISEMENT As a result of warming temperatures, glaciers […]

A controversial new study has claimed that it is possible to generate electricity using the Earth’s rotation, its magnetic field, and a surprisingly simple device. If replicated, that could be pretty interesting indeed, but for now some physicists are rightly a little skeptical of the results. ADVERTISEMENT Whether electricity can be generated using Earth’s rotation […]