In the remote soils of Easter Island, beneath its towering stone statues, scientists stumbled upon a bacterium that would change medicine forever and sparked the creation of a multi-million-dollar drug. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content. Rapamycin, also known clinically as sirolimus, […]
News
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows “Extreme Negative Polarization”. What Does That Mean?
A team of astronomers have presented the first polarimetric observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, finding that it has extreme negative polarization. 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 was confirmed to be an interstellar […]
“Agreeable To The Taste” Like A Sirloin Steak: The People Who Ate Mammoth Meat In The 20th Century
Countless humans have eaten mammoth, although most were hungry hunter-gatherers struggling to survive during the Ice Age. Since the last mammoths fell into extinction 4,000 years ago, very few people in the modern age have tasted their meat – or so you would assume. One story from the turn of the 20th century involves Otto […]
Too Much Alcohol For Too Long Can Stop Liver Healing, Even After Quitting – Now We Know Why
The liver is one of the human body’s most impressive organs, able to regenerate itself even after it’s damaged or a bit of it is lopped off – but its abilities can only be pushed so far. Long term, excessive alcohol use can stop it from being able to heal itself even after someone stops […]
Meet The Only Mouse Known To Howl At The Moon
You might think that only werewolves howl at the Moon, but this spooky season, we’re bringing you another creature with a lot to say at nighttime. Meet the grasshopper mouse; it might be small, but it has one heck of a voice. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or […]
Centuries-Old Texas Tree Named “Jolene” Set For Nearly $1 Million Relocation… Just 400 Meters Away
A short journey for a much-loved, reportedly 400-year-old oak tree dubbed “Jolene” is soon to take place in the Texan city of Kyle as part of a road expansion project, with the move set to cost nearly $1 million. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access […]
World’s Most Sensitive Dark Matter Detector Is Closing In On What It Can – And Cannot – Be
Deep in a mine in South Dakota is the LUX-ZEPLIN dark matter detector, a pair of nested titanium tanks filled with 10 tons of transparent, pure liquid xenon nestled far underground to shield it from cosmic particles that may drown out any faint signals. If dark matter is made of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) […]
The History Of The Loch Ness Monster – And The Theories On What It Could Have Been
The history of the Loch Ness Monster – a giant creature that inhabits a loch in Scotland – goes back a century, or many centuries, depending on who you ask. The monster, the myth, the legend The earliest sighting connected to Nessie by some goes back all the way to 565 CE, with a strange […]
Perfectly Mummified Cheetahs Are The First Naturally Mummified Big Cats Ever Found
A lot of fun creatures dwell in caves, from cave spiders to the orange crocs and even a whole range of eyeless beasties. However, one species not typically found in caves is cheetahs, but a host of their mummified remains has been discovered inside a cave in Saudi Arabia. The rest of this article is […]
There’s A New Key Cause Contributing To Divorce And Breakups In The US
Misinformation and disinformation. Two pesky little blighters that are causing serious problems in all kinds of really unhelpful places right now – including, according to a new study, romantic relationships. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content. Over a series of in-depth interviews […]
World’s Highest Bridge, Standing 625 Meters Above “Crack In The Earth”, Opens To Public
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou province, China, now the highest bridge in the world, has officially opened to the public. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content. Construction of the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou province, China, began in 2022, […]
Can You Identify The “Triangle Of Death”?
If you heard your dermatologist talking about the “triangle of death”, you might be tempted to recommend they log out of social media and take a nice vacation – but this is no conspiracy theory. The triangle of death, less melodramatically known as the “danger triangle”, is a real term, and it refers to part […]
At 12,000 Years Old, These Rock Art Masterpieces In The Empty Desert Reveal A Culture Lost To Time
Physical traces of humans living in the Arabian Desert are scarce between 25,000 to 10,000 years ago. They left few ruins, barely any bones, and only a small scattering of their possessions. However, an incredible display of monumental rock art etched into the desert cliffs reveals that people were here, carving out a rich culture […]
Cellar Spider: Are These Long-Legged Basement Dwellers Anything To Fear?
Poke around a dusty basement full of boxes that haven’t been touched since last Christmas, and there’s a good chance you’ll come across a cellar spider. Known for their gangly legs and wispy webs, these arachnids are commonly found in homes around the world and scarcely ever cause much trouble (unless you are a small […]
The Secret To Attracting A Partner? The Smell Of Cheesy Feet – At Least, If You’re A Black Widow
Attracting a mate in the animal world is of prime importance, but how best to go about it? Do you flash your feathers in a personalized dance, fight your rivals for the chance to breed, or, in the recently discovered web of widow spiders, follow the smell of cheesy feet? The rest of this article […]
What’s The Tallest Tree In The Amazon? The Rainforest’s Giants Are Only Starting To Be Found
Home to around 400 billion trees, the Amazon is the most expansive rainforest on Earth. Surprisingly, though, it isn’t especially famous for towering trees, despite its vast abundance. That may be changing, however, as scientists begin uncovering some of the rainforest’s true giants. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in […]
The Ancient Mystery Of Will-O’-The-Wisps Might Have An Electric Explanation
High-speed cameras have captured the moment when sparks initiate the phenomenon known as ignis fatuus or will-o’-the-wisps, finally offering an explanation for a phenomenon that has terrified and delighted humanity for millennia. The bobbing blue lights seen in wetlands have formed the basis for a great many of humanity’s stories. Would our folklore of elves […]
For The First Time In Humans, Skin Cells Have Been Used To Create Fertilizable Eggs
Human skin cells have been used to produce fertilizable eggs in a proof-of-concept study that heralds a potential new approach to infertility treatment. While much more research is needed to know how truly safe and effective this could be, it opens up the possibility that we could one day create new egg cells for women […]
People Are Being Urged To Put Bowls Of Salt In Their Window This Autumn And Winter, But Does It Work?
People in the United Kingdom are once again being urged to place bowls of salt in their windows this winter, in an attempt to prevent damp conditions and mold. But is that really good advice? When water vapor in your home or vehicle hits a cold surface, such as your windows, it changes back into […]
7,000-Kilometer Gravity Anomaly Detected By NASA Over The Atlantic. It Came With A “Geomagnetic Jerk”.
Researchers looking through data from NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR)’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) have found an odd gravity anomaly over the Atlantic Ocean. Attempting to find the cause of the anomaly, the team found it may be associated with a “geomagnetic jerk” detected around the world. There is still plenty […]
