Science
Discover facts about science. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Science
The corpse flower heats up its rotten-meat advertisement.
The corpse flower heats up its rotten-meat advertisement. When a titan arum blooms, it releases a carrion-like odor that attracts pollinating insects. Heat…
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Heated water can actually freeze faster than cold water under certain highly specific and intensely debated thermal conditions known as the Mpemba effect.
Heated water can actually freeze faster than cold water under certain highly specific and intensely debated thermal conditions known as the Mpemba effect. The…
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Australia's extinct gastric-brooding frogs raised their young in their stomachs.
Australia's extinct gastric-brooding frogs raised their young in their stomachs. The mother swallowed the eggs, and developing offspring suppressed the…
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Female bedbugs evolved an organ for a brutal form of mating.
Female bedbugs evolved an organ for a brutal form of mating. Male bedbugs pierce the female's body wall to inseminate her. A specialized structure called the…
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Male ducks have explosively uncoiling corkscrew-shaped penises, while female ducks have evolved complex, labyrinth-like vaginas with dead ends and reverse spirals to defend themselves against unwanted mating.
Male ducks have explosively uncoiling corkscrew-shaped penises, while female ducks have evolved complex, labyrinth-like vaginas with dead ends and reverse…
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Some vultures cool themselves by coating their legs in their own droppings.
Some vultures cool themselves by coating their legs in their own droppings. As the liquid evaporates, it carries heat away from blood flowing near the skin.…
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Whales lost their walking legs but kept a use for the pelvis.
Whales lost their walking legs but kept a use for the pelvis. Their small pelvic bones anchor muscles involved in reproduction. A 2014 study linked…
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Ichneumon wasps reproduce by injecting their eggs directly into the bodies of living caterpillars, ensuring their offspring have a warm, fleshy buffet the moment they hatch.
Ichneumon wasps reproduce by injecting their eggs directly into the bodies of living caterpillars, ensuring their offspring have a warm, fleshy buffet the…
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Energy from the Sun's core takes an enormous detour before reaching daylight.
Energy from the Sun's core takes an enormous detour before reaching daylight. Inside the dense Sun, radiation is repeatedly absorbed and re-emitted, so energy…
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An opossum-inspired peptide neutralized venom in a mouse experiment.
An opossum-inspired peptide neutralized venom in a mouse experiment. Researchers tested a short protein fragment related to opossum venom resistance. When…
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The zombie-ant fungus can control behavior without filling the brain.
The zombie-ant fungus can control behavior without filling the brain. Researchers examining infected ants found fungal networks throughout the body and around…
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Scientists stored Shakespeare's sonnets in synthetic DNA.
Scientists stored Shakespeare's sonnets in synthetic DNA. A 2013 experiment encoded digital files into DNA sequences, including text, an image and audio, then…
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Lobsters communicate with their rivals and potential romantic partners by aggressively projecting streams of highly concentrated urine directly out of tiny nozzles conveniently located right beneath their bulging eyes.
Lobsters communicate with their rivals and potential romantic partners by aggressively projecting streams of highly concentrated urine directly out of tiny…
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A crocodile's size is not a reliable birthday counter.
A crocodile's size is not a reliable birthday counter. Growth varies with species, food, and conditions, and slowing growth does not make the animal…
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Rabbits send some of their food through twice.
Rabbits send some of their food through twice. Microbes in a rabbit's cecum help process tough plant material and produce useful nutrients. That fermentation…
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A spinning wheel can turn a spacecraft without firing a rocket.
A spinning wheel can turn a spacecraft without firing a rocket. Reaction wheels spin inside satellites. Speed one up and the spacecraft turns the other way,…
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Vampire bats can keep a hungry neighbor alive by sharing blood.
Vampire bats can keep a hungry neighbor alive by sharing blood. A successful forager can regurgitate part of a meal for another bat. In a study following…
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A wombat's pouch opens away from the dirt it digs.
A wombat's pouch opens away from the dirt it digs. The opening faces toward the rear, helping keep excavated soil away from the young inside. Koalas, their…
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Bananas bend upward while the bunch stays hanging.
Bananas bend upward while the bunch stays hanging. Young fruit starts out pointing down and curves as it develops, growing against gravity. The stem does not…
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A diving blue whale's heartbeat can fall to just two beats a minute.
A diving blue whale's heartbeat can fall to just two beats a minute. Researchers attached a suction-cup sensor to a wild whale and recorded striking changes…
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Animals can notice an earthquake before people feel its strongest shaking.
Animals can notice an earthquake before people feel its strongest shaking. The first, faster seismic waves arrive before the more destructive waves, and…
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A peanut plant sends its future crop into the soil.
A peanut plant sends its future crop into the soil. After fertilization, a stalk-like structure called a peg grows downward and carries the developing ovary…
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A black hole can pull harder on your feet than on your head.
A black hole can pull harder on your feet than on your head. That difference in gravity stretches a falling object lengthwise and squeezes it sideways, a…
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Yawning is contagious not just in humans, but also in dogs, chimpanzees, and even some species of birds, though scientists still do not fully understand why.
Yawning is contagious not just in humans, but also in dogs, chimpanzees, and even some species of birds, though scientists still do not fully understand why.…
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