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Sadly, Astronomers Just Lost Three Exoplanets. Here’s Why

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What we thought were three confirmed exoplanets have just been knocked off their perch – and a fourth one is under serious doubt. According to a new analysis using revised characteristics, the objects Kepler-854b, Kepler-840b, and Kepler-699b seem to be too big to be exoplanets after all. That means they must be stars. The fourth … Read more

A Toxic Fungus Could Be Contributing to Some People’s Irritable Bowel Disease

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Some strains of yeast in the human gut can produce toxins that could contribute to irritable bowel disease (IBD), according to new research. These “high-damaging” Candida albicans yeast strains aren’t usually a problem when they are kept in balance, but in the guts of those with IBD, the fungi appear to proliferate, triggering inflammation.   The … Read more

This Beautiful Reconstruction of a Stone Age Woman Feels Almost Like Time Travel

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A Stone Age woman who lived 4,000 years ago is leaning on her walking stick and looking ahead as a spirited young boy bursts into a run, in a stunning life-size reconstruction now on display in Sweden.   Although her likeness is new – it debuted last month in an exhibit about ancient people at Västernorrlands Museum … Read more

There Are ‘Secret’ Tunnels Connecting Your Skull And The Brain

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Did you know you have tiny tunnels in your head? That’s OK, no one else did either until recently! But that’s exactly what a team of medical researchers confirmed in mice and humans in 2018 – tiny channels that connect skull bone marrow to the lining of the brain.   The research shows they may … Read more

New Training Approach Claims Anyone Can Become More Creative

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We tend to split people into creative and non-creative types, but does this distinction actually exist? A recently devised training method hints that just about anyone can tap into their creativity – if they’re given the right methods to unlock it.   The new method hones in on narrative cognition – in its simplest terms, … Read more

Human-Shaped Sarcophagus Found in Newly Revealed Tombs Beneath The Notre-Dame

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Several tombs and a leaden sarcophagus likely dating from the 14th century have been uncovered by archaeologists at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris following its devastating 2019 fire.   The burial sites “of remarkable scientific quality” were unearthed during preparatory work for rebuilding the ancient church’s spire at the central spot where the transept crosses the … Read more

This Saber-Tooth Predator Was Likely One of The First True Carnivores

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If you’ve ever lived with a cat, you’ve probably received a painful chomp from your beloved furball’s pointy canines at least once. But 42 million years ago, your kitty’s teeth would have looked very different: Evolution was only just honing the teeth of cat-like animals to a deadly sharp tip for piercing and shredding flesh. … Read more

Curious Test Reveals Dogs Have a Stunning Awareness of Themselves

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Dogs might not be able to recognize themselves in a mirror, but that doesn’t mean our pets don’t have some level of self-awareness. Recent research has shown dogs can recognize the unique smell of their own odor, sort of like looking in an ‘olfactory mirror’, and in 2021, a study found they might also have … Read more

A Man Had a Stroke. Three Months Later His Tongue Turned ‘Hairy’ And Dark

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A man in his 50s presented to doctors in India a black, hairy tongue after suffering a stroke, according to a report by JAMA Dermatology. The man had left-sided weakness from a stroke three months prior and was put on a pureed diet, doctors said in the report published Wednesday. A thick, black coating had covered most … Read more

Octopuses Are Increasingly Using Trash For Shelter, Harrowing Study Shows

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Human waste has become so ubiquitous in the ocean, it’s becoming easier for octopuses to shelter in our trash than in seashells or coral. A systematic review of underwater photographs and videos from around the world has tallied 24 cephalopod species making their homes in marine litter.   For years, divers and scientists have observed … Read more