A writing system developed by one of the world’s earliest urban societies has given linguists nothing but grief since it was first discovered on an unintelligible stone seal in the ancient city of Harappa, in what is now Pakistan, 150 years ago. Hoping to finally crack the code, authorities have now announced a $1 million […]
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Stag Beetles Fighting, Bee-Eaters Flying, And A Camera Trap Bear: Marvel At The Winners Of Close-Up Photographer Of The Year
The sixth Close-up Photographer of the Year competition has come to a close in spectacular style with the winners announced in all 11 categories, as well as the overall champion. From more than 11,000 entries, the team whittled it down to the very best to award prizes in everything from Fungi & Slime Molds to […]
Miles Below Earth’s Surface, A Diverse Array Of Underground Life Thrives
In the mid-1990s, scientists made a discovery that shook up the understanding of life on Earth: vast reservoirs of microbes can be found beneath the planet’s surface, often buried kilometers deep in rock with no sunlight. It’s now estimated that at least half (50-80 percent) of Earth’s microbial cells live in the subsurface. ADVERTISEMENT GO […]
To Keep Us Safe From Bears, Drones Are Humanity’s Best Friend
The return of brown bears to parts of North America where they had been nearly eradicated is a win for conservation, but it creates a new set of problems. One wildlife officer has tested four approaches to preventing bears from attacking humans where their ranges overlap, and has some clear advice for others. ADVERTISEMENT GO […]
New Fast Radio Burst Location Hints At Completely Different Cosmic Beast
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief emissions of radio waves, lasting a fraction of a second but with as much energy as the Sun’s over days or even longer. Several FRBs have been linked to a subclass of neutron stars known as magnetars that possess, as the name suggests, stupendous magnetic fields. A recently observed […]
People Are Just Learning Humans Can “Gleek”, And Lord We Wish They Hadn’t
Have you ever looked at a spitting cobra, firing venom at their enemies from their fangs in self-defense, and thought “I wish humans can do that”? No? Well, it turns out humans have our own sort of projectile attack, which, while it won’t strike down our enemies, will leave them pretty grossed out nonetheless. ADVERTISEMENT […]
How Does Neanderthal DNA Influence Our Brains?
How different are we from Neanderthals? The answer is “not as much as we used to think”. Or, to put it another way, the more we learn about this group of archaic humans, the more similarities we are discovering. This process of discovery has increased significantly since we learnt that some humans have Neanderthal DNA, […]
Third-Ever Pig Kidney Transplant Patient Still Doing Well A Record 2 Months On From Surgery
Towana Looney, a woman from Alabama who last year became the third person to undergo a pig kidney transplant, is reportedly still recovering well after her surgery. Having now passed two months since the operation, this makes Looney the longest-surviving recipient of such an organ to date. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Looney had her pioneering […]
A German Aerospace Engineer Lived Underwater For 120 Days. It’s A New Record
A German aerospace engineer has set a new world record, after living for 120 days under the sea in an attempt to prove that humans could expand to living beneath the oceans. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE For the record attempt, Rudiger Koch lived in a fairly comfortable environment 11 meters (36 feet) under the sea, […]
System Of Three Dead Stars Has Suspected Smallest Exoplanet Ever Found
Astronomers have found evidence for what might be a planet with about half the mass of the Moon orbiting the pulsar PSR J0337+1715 – this would make it the least massive planet we have ever detected outside our Solar System. The pulsar and the objects that orbit it are already some of the most extreme […]
Near-Earth “Asteroid” Spotted By Astronomers Turns Out To Be Elon Musk’s Car
A near-Earth “asteroid” recently spotted by astronomers poring through telescope data has turned out to be Elon Musk’s car. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE On January 2, the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center announced the discovery of a new asteroid. The object was dubbed 2018 CN41 after the year and month when the telescope observations […]
The Science Of Fever Dreams: Find Out More In Issue 31 Of CURIOUS – Out Now
Issue 31 (February 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 31 of our digital magazine now by clicking below! Use the arrows to navigate or […]
Frozen In Time And In Two Parts: Ted Williams And The Ugly Truth Of Cryonics
During his life, Ted “the Kid” Williams was known for being one of the best hitters in baseball history. Now deceased, his brain is currently lying in a cryonic laboratory in Arizona. This chilling tale is one that is full of twists and turns, including a legal battle and mishaps with his body. ADVERTISEMENT […]
In The 1950s, The UK Tried To Make A Nuclear Bomb Filled With Live Chickens
The USA has a reputation for coming up with some pretty wacky uses of nuclear weapons, from dropping nuclear bombs on the Moon, to dropping a nuclear bomb on Alaska. But they are not the only country to go wild with these weapons of mass destruction. In the 1950s, the UK worked on a plan […]
The Most Toxic Plants You Should Never Touch
While the violent plant life of Day of the Triffids is thankfully fictional, that doesn’t mean that you’re entirely safe from our planet’s flora. Certain plants are packed with toxins and best believe that means you don’t want them touching you – whether that means your hands or your insides. Deadly nightshade ADVERTISEMENT GO AD […]
Gates Of The Arctic Is The Least Visited US National Park – Why?
With their scenic beauty and iconic geological features, the United States’ array of national parks makes for great places to visit. However, not all are as popular as the rest – and Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska is the least visited of them all. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE According to […]
Physics Can Model The Peculiar Spread Of A Virus In One Of George R.R. Martin’s Fictional Universes
Long before Westeros, fantasy and science-fiction author George R.R. Martin had a hand in creating Wild Cards, a shared science-fiction universe involving a pathogen called the “Wild Card” virus that has now spanned 32 books, comics, and games. This fictional world has now breached containment, as it is the basis of a new scientific paper, […]
The Science Of Anger: Does Venting Truly Help Us Move Forward?
Have you ever just wanted to smash things? Perhaps you’ve had a particularly trying day, the boss has said something that’s gotten your back up or a client has replied to your ever-so-clear email with yet more questions that you have already answered. It’s been a week, hey, it’s been a month of this bull**** […]
Pompeii’s Eruption Was 32 Hours Of Pure Hell, Trust In Science Remains High Across The World, And Much More This Week
This week, a new analysis puts into question if the COVID-19 lockdowns really did affect the temperature of the Moon, the largest study of its kind suggests that sex differences may be present in the human brain from birth, and scientists were surprised to see chimps exhibiting signs of contagious urination. Finally, we asked palaeontologists […]
Why Does Your Own Voice Sound So Horrendous On Recordings?
Unless you’re a velvet-tongued narcissist, you’ve probably experienced that gut-wrenching moment when you hear a recording of your own voice. The unfamiliar, grating sound that’s apparently leaving your mouth makes you cringe and suddenly pity anyone you’ve ever uttered a word to. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE So why does your voice always sound so painfully […]
