In China’s northwestern Gansu Province, the city of Dunhuang’s desert hills are alive with the sound of music. A fascinating, and somewhat eery, phenomenon causes the staggeringly high sand dunes scattered throughout the Kumtag Desert to “sing” in the wind. The Singing Sand Dunes range in size, with the highest peak reaching 1,715 meters (5,626 […]
News
Nearby Star Cluster May Be Nearly As Old As The Universe
A new technique has been used to estimate the age of globular star cluster M92 at 13.8 billion years, plus or minus 0.75 billion years. This is an almost exact match for the estimated age of the Universe, albeit with wider error bars. Either this nearby collection of stars formed as soon as possible after […]
Iceland Suspends 2023’s Whaling Season – And It’s Unlikely To Return In Future
Iceland’s government has suspended this season’s commercial whaling due to animal welfare concerns. While the suspension only lasts until the end of this summer 2023, animal rights groups are hoping it will be the final nail in the coffin for the dwindling whaling industry in Iceland. The move was announced on June 20 by Svandís […]
Study Finds Out What Happens When Students Stop Using Pornography For A Week
A study has taken a look at whether regular porn users experience withdrawal symptoms after seven days of abstaining (or attempting to abstain) from pornography. After the rise of the Internet, there has been a significant increase in pornography consumption, with PornHub – one of the most popular adult websites – reporting over 39 billion […]
The JWST Has Taken This Stunning Image Of Saturn And More
The JWST devoted more than two and a half hours of its precious time to observing Saturn this weekend, and the images above and below are among the products. The different images show the planet, its rings, and sometimes its moons as seen using different filters, in some cases really letting the rings steal the […]
Just A 3-Minute Activity Boosted Male Sexual Response In Study
Just three minutes of physical stress appears to increase males’ responses to sexual stimuli, according to one study. When shown sexual images, males that had done a short bout of exerting strong hand grip just prior had a stronger bodily response compared to the control group, suggesting physical exertion could boost mechanisms controlling arousal. The […]
This Is Why You Can Live In Hiroshima And Nagasaki But Not Chernobyl
Three of the most cataclysmic nuclear events of the 20th century took place in three cities, two in Japan and one in Ukraine. We are probably all familiar with what happened in each case, but what isn’t so clear is why people have been able to live and thrive in Hiroshima and Nagasaki but not […]
The Next Pompeii? Another Volcanic Titan Lurks In The Mediterranean
Mount Vesuvius is the infamous volcanic force that looms over the Gulf of Naples. However, it’s less known that this idyllic pocket of the Italian coast is also home to another peril: Campi Flegrei. Given its potential to rain hell on a major Mediterranean city, it’s been speculated that this active volcano could create the […]
People Are Asking Why The Titanic Didn’t Implode As It Sank
Last week, the Titan submersible imploded as it went down to explore the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five passengers. People now appear to be confused as to what caused the implosion, and why the Titanic did not suffer the same fate. On Thursday, conservative radio show host Jesse Kelly tweeted: “I have a […]
Is Exercise Really Good For The Brain? Here’s What The Science Says
The health benefits of physical activity are undeniable. Yet, a recent study based on data published over the past 30 years challenges the famous adage Mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body) and questions the importance of exercise for both brain health and cognition. Advertisement A few days after that […]
If Humans Went Extinct, What Would The Earth Look Like One Year Later?
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to [email protected]. If humans went extinct, what would the Earth look like one year later? – Essie, age 11, Michigan Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if everyone […]
Do These Seven Things Really Stop Mosquitoes Biting You?
There’s one animal that ruins summer evenings: the mosquito. While mosquitoes don’t carry any diseases in the UK, their itchy bites are far from fun. Everyone has a friend who gets covered in mosquito bites and a friend who doesn’t get a single one. That’s because mosquitoes use their sense of smell to find people […]
The Science Of Luck. Find Out More In Issue 12 Of CURIOUS – Out Now
Issue 12 (July 2023) 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. In This Issue… Advertisement OUR COVER STORY: The Science Of Luck Is there any science behind luck? […]
Scammers Exploit Psychology For Convincing Internet Cons – Here’s What To Watch Out For
Online fraud is today’s most common crime. Victims are often told they are foolish for falling for it, but fraudsters use psychological mechanisms to infiltrate the defences of their targets, regardless of how intelligent they are. So it’s important to keep up with the latest scams and understand how they work. Advertisement Recently, consumer protection […]
The Scientist Who Burned Diamonds To Prove That They Were Carbon
In 1772, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier – sometimes referred to as the father of modern chemistry – set valuable diamonds on fire. When Lavoisier was born, chemistry was still not what you’d call a science. Beliefs included the theory of phlogiston – that all combustible materials contain a fire-like element (called phlogiston) that is released as […]
TWIS: The Oldest Cave Engravings Were Not Done By Homo Sapiens, Lost Ancient Maya City Found Deep In The Jungle, And Much More This Week
This week a NASA visualization shows us where Earth’s carbon dioxide comes from, it turns out many people had no idea where the Titanic actually sunk, the record-breaking 2022 Tonga eruption caused an 11-hour lightening marathon, and we investigate the strange conspiracy theory that claims Ancient Egyptians were once in the Grand Canyon. Subscribe to […]
A Psychic Was Once Awarded Nearly $1 Million After A CAT Scan Made Her “Powers” Vanish
There was once a woman who filed a malpractice suit claiming that the CAT scan she received made her unable to use her psychic powers… and she won (well, sort of). Judith Richardson Haimes once earned her living as a psychic, and was able to read people’s auras and help police solve crimes (a true […]
What Is Omega-7 And Do We Need More Of It?
You may have heard of omega-3, a class of fatty acids found in fish and seeds that has ascended to almost mythical levels within the supplement industry – but have you heard of omega-7? As omega-3’s less popular cousin, this group of fatty acids isn’t quite as important (it’s not essential like the former is), […]
Octopus Vs Squid: Do You Know The Difference?
Let’s dive right into the weird world of underwater armed beasties. Octopuses and squids both belong to the marine mollusk class called Cephalopoda, with around 300 species of each. Cephalopod means “head-footed” as these animals have no feet, but can you tell all those tentacles apart? We break down the difference between these fascinating and […]
What Is Implosion And How Is It Different To Decompression?
Recent news has seen the dangers of deep-sea exploration, and the potentially catastrophic events that can happen as a result, thrust into the public eye. With it has come misunderstandings of what decompression and implosion actually are, and how they may arise. So, let’s explore both and what makes them different. What is an implosion […]
