Science
Discover facts about science. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Science
Bats remain the singular mammalian species on this planet capable of achieving sustained powered flight
A bat’s wing is skin stretched over long finger bones, and those fingers can flex to reshape the wing in flight. That lets a bat make sharp turns; a flying…
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Bananas are radioactive, and so are you.
Bananas are radioactive, and so are you. A small fraction of natural potassium is potassium-40, an isotope whose atoms release radiation as they decay.…
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A Venus flytrap checks the visitor before paying for dinner.
A Venus flytrap checks the visitor before paying for dinner. Two closely spaced signals from its sensitive hairs usually trigger closure. Further stimulation…
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Why tarantulas share their burrows with tiny frogs
The frog eats ants and other insects that might attack the tarantula’s eggs, while the spider’s burrow shelters the frog from larger predators. One guards the…
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Fungi are genetically much closer to humans and other animals than they are to plants, completely debunking the culinary assumption that mushrooms are just weird vegetables.
Fungi are genetically much closer to humans and other animals than they are to plants, completely debunking the culinary assumption that mushrooms are just…
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Water can freeze and boil in the same experiment.
Water can freeze and boil in the same experiment. Reduce the pressure and water can boil far below its usual kitchen temperature. Evaporation takes heat away,…
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Eucalyptus trees can pull gold into their leaves
Gold in eucalyptus leaves starts underground: roots take up minute particles with water, and traces can move into the branches and leaves. Nobody is…
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Honey keeps microbes thirsty even inside a sticky liquid.
Honey keeps microbes thirsty even inside a sticky liquid. Its concentrated sugars leave very little water available for microbes to use, and its acidity adds…
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A platypus serves milk without nipples.
A platypus serves milk without nipples. Milk leaves mammary glands through openings in the skin and collects on the mother's belly, where the young lap it up.…
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An octopus's arms do some of their own information processing.
An octopus's arms do some of their own information processing. Large networks of neurons run through the arms, handling local sensations and movements…
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Pineapples contain a flesh-eating enzyme called bromelain that actively digests proteins, meaning that when you eat a pineapple, the fruit is literally trying to eat you back.
Pineapples contain a flesh-eating enzyme called bromelain that actively digests proteins, meaning that when you eat a pineapple, the fruit is literally trying…
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Sharks were swimming before the first forests existed.
Sharks were swimming before the first forests existed. Their fossil record reaches back more than 400 million years, while recognizable trees appeared later.…
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A wombat's round intestine produces surprisingly square droppings.
A wombat's round intestine produces surprisingly square droppings. Researchers found that regions of differing stiffness in the intestinal wall help form flat…
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A mantis shrimp's strike can hit twice.
A mantis shrimp's strike can hit twice. Its spring-loaded club moves fast enough to create a vapor bubble in the water near its prey. When that bubble…
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Why a flame usually has no shadow
A flame is mostly hot gas, so light can pass through instead of being blocked by a solid surface. That’s why it usually casts no clear shadow. Add soot…
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Your dog’s nose print is its fingerprint
The ridges and creases on a dog’s nose make a pattern that can be recorded, much like a fingerprint. Some registries have used those patterns to help identify…
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A small drop of water can contain about five sextillion atoms
Take a drop of roughly 0.05 milliliters: it contains about 1.7 sextillion water molecules. Each molecule has three atoms, giving about five sextillion atoms…
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Flamingos’ knees are hiding under their feathers
The bend that looks like a flamingo’s backward knee is actually its ankle. Its real knee sits high beneath the feathers, while the long section below the…
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Moose can dive for water lilies
A moose can plunge its head underwater and pull plants from the lake bottom. Valves in its nostrils help stop water from rushing in, and its flexible lips can…
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Why crocodiles can’t stick out their tongues
The tongue is held down by a membrane, which is why a crocodile can’t stick it out like a dog. When it opens its jaws underwater, a different flap at the back…
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Snow is technically a mineral
As water freezes, its molecules settle into a repeating crystal pattern, which makes ice a mineral. Snowflakes grow as ice crystals in clouds, each with that…
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Iguanas have a hidden third eye
Think of the iguana's third eye as a light alarm, not a tiny camera. It notices changes in brightness, so a shadow crossing overhead can register even without…
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Sharks wear tiny teeth instead of scales
A shark’s tiny tooth-like denticles guide water along its body. Their aligned ridges help the flow stay smooth and reduce drag, so the skin does more than…
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A giraffe's dark tongue is thought to help with a sun-filled job
It reaches around leaves for hours, exposing far more tissue than most animals show while feeding. Dark pigmentation is thought to help protect that exposed…
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