The Lighter Side of Science | IFLScience

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The World Is About To Vote On Whether To Ditch The Global Map As We Know It And Start Showing Countries’ True Size

Africa is front and center in this image of Earth taken by a NASA camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite.

The World Is About To Vote On Whether To Ditch The Global Map As We Know It And Start Showing Countries’ True Size

Africa is front and center in this image of Earth taken by a NASA camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite.

The World Is About To Vote On Whether To Ditch The Global Map As We Know It And Start Showing Countries’ True Size

Africa is tired of being belittled, cartographically.

15 hours ago

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Weapons In Tombs Once Suggested Male Remains, Then Along Came The Ancient Egyptian Warrior Princesses. When So Little Is Left, How Do We Identify Sex?

four layouts of ancient egyptian female remains

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Weapons In Tombs Once Suggested Male Remains, Then Along Came The Ancient Egyptian Warrior Princesses. When So Little Is Left, How Do We Identify Sex?

14 hours ago

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The American Cheetah Was Not A Cheetah – And Some Of Them Had A Diet Closer To That Of Orcas Than Other Big Cats

A reconstruction of an American cheetah hunting an ancient horse.

The American Cheetah Was Not A Cheetah – And Some Of Them Had A Diet Closer To That Of Orcas Than Other Big Cats

13 hours ago

The Rich More Likely To Snatch Candy From A Baby, A Formal Definition Of Kissing, And Cockroach Milk Win The 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes

12 hours ago

Prehistoric Teeth Previously Thought To Belong To A Neanderthal Who Was Eaten By Humans Turn Out To Be Something Else

14 hours ago

This Deep-Sea Crustacean Is The Size Of A Loaf Of Bread. It Looks Like A Giant Prawn, Begging The Question: Would It Taste Like One?

13 hours ago

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Whale Song Appears To Travel Faster Than The Speed Of Sound Without Breaking Einstein's Theory Of Special Relativity

a fin whale seen from above at the surface

Whale Song Appears To Travel Faster Than The Speed Of Sound Without Breaking Einstein's Theory Of Special Relativity

A phenomenon observed in whale song makes soundwaves appear faster than they should be. It's possible in light, too, but despite whales being very smart, they haven't found a way to break the speed limit of the universe… yet.

August 25, 2026

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World’s Largest Luminous Vertebrate Is A Shark With A Sparkly Tummy – All The Better To Hunt With

Two images of a kitefin shark showing the glowing blue patches along its stomach, fins and tail.

World’s Largest Luminous Vertebrate Is A Shark With A Sparkly Tummy – All The Better To Hunt With

Don't look up.

August 19, 2026

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200,000 Barrels Of Radioactive Waste Were Dumped In The Atlantic. Decades Later, We’re Finally Learning What Happens When They Leak

a barrel on the seafloor has big holes and animals growing on it

200,000 Barrels Of Radioactive Waste Were Dumped In The Atlantic. Decades Later, We’re Finally Learning What Happens When They Leak

It’s not good news, but it's also not yet terrible news.

August 28, 2026

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In 2014, Scientists Went In Search Of A Shipwreck 1,900 Meters Below The Sea. Instead, They Found A Monstrous "Tar Lily"

6 rocky extrusions of tar have grown out of the seabed like petals on a flower

In 2014, Scientists Went In Search Of A Shipwreck 1,900 Meters Below The Sea. Instead, They Found A Monstrous "Tar Lily"

What in The Upside-Down is going on here?

4 days ago

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