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About Rachael Funnell

Rachael Funnell

Rachael Funnell

Senior Science Writer

About the Author

Rachael is a writer and zoologist with a degree from the University of Southampton, specializing in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment. As a producer for CURIOUS Live, IFLScience's virtual event, she has led engaging discussions on forensic pathology, taphonomy, entomology, and botany on the Death Stage, with further events scheduled for 2025. As co-editor of CURIOUS, IFLScience’s e-magazine, Rachael crafts travel features exploring the science behind Earth’s most fascinating habitats and landmarks, and dives into the latest sci-fi TV, films, and books. She is also a host on the Break It Down, We Have Questions, and The Big Questions podcasts, and produces and presents video content for YouTube and social media.

Read IFLScience Editorial Policy

ACADEMIC HISTORY

Southampton University, BSc Zoology , 2014

TIME AT IFLSCIENCE

2020 - PRESENT

3,170 PUBLISHED ARTICLES

LOCATION

London

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

AnimalsEvolutionPalaeontology Funerary practiceForensics
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Latest from Rachael Funnell

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Love False Lashes? Me Too, Says Microscopic Arachnid That Lives On Your Facedemodex face mite on human eyelash

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Love False Lashes? Me Too, Says Microscopic Arachnid That Lives On Your Facedemodex face mite on human eyelash
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Love False Lashes? Me Too, Says Microscopic Arachnid That Lives On Your Face

clock-icon6 days ago

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Group Of Worms That Have One Head But Many Butts Has Just Gained 10 New SpeciesWorm’s body has one head and many, many tails.

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Group Of Worms That Have One Head But Many Butts Has Just Gained 10 New SpeciesWorm’s body has one head and many, many tails.
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Group Of Worms That Have One Head But Many Butts Has Just Gained 10 New Species

clock-icon6 days ago

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The Most Perfectly Preserved Feather From The Age Of Dinosaurs Has Been Discovered Inside Fossilized Tyrannosaur Poop Dating Back 66 Million YearsDavid DeMar, Jr. holding the exposed fossil feather in the coprolite fragment on the day of its discovery in 2016.

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The Most Perfectly Preserved Feather From The Age Of Dinosaurs Has Been Discovered Inside Fossilized Tyrannosaur Poop Dating Back 66 Million YearsDavid DeMar, Jr. holding the exposed fossil feather in the coprolite fragment on the day of its discovery in 2016.
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The Most Perfectly Preserved Feather From The Age Of Dinosaurs Has Been Discovered Inside Fossilized Tyrannosaur Poop Dating Back 66 Million Years

clock-iconSeptember 10, 2026

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New Species Of Jurassic Squid-Like Creature Discovered. About The Length Of A Skateboard, It’s The “Chunkiest” Belemnite On Recordan illustration of the big chunky belemnite next to its fossil

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New Species Of Jurassic Squid-Like Creature Discovered. About The Length Of A Skateboard, It’s The “Chunkiest” Belemnite On Recordan illustration of the big chunky belemnite next to its fossil
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New Species Of Jurassic Squid-Like Creature Discovered. About The Length Of A Skateboard, It’s The “Chunkiest” Belemnite On Record

clock-iconSeptember 10, 2026

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A Baby Dinosaur That Never Made It Out Of The Egg Has Helped Palaeontologists Piece Together How Troodon Grew From Embryo To AdultA troodontid nesting scene reconstruction at Shanghai Natural History Museum’s China Dinosaur World, depicting brooding behavior and reproductive ecology

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A Baby Dinosaur That Never Made It Out Of The Egg Has Helped Palaeontologists Piece Together How Troodon Grew From Embryo To AdultA troodontid nesting scene reconstruction at Shanghai Natural History Museum’s China Dinosaur World, depicting brooding behavior and reproductive ecology
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A Baby Dinosaur That Never Made It Out Of The Egg Has Helped Palaeontologists Piece Together How Troodon Grew From Embryo To Adult

clock-iconSeptember 9, 2026

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Highest Latitude Sauropod Nests Ever Found Suggest They Used Rotting Vegetation To Keep Their Babies Warm In Cold Environmentsa baby sauropod hatches out of its egg into a big pile of rotting leaves (they kept it warm as an egg)

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Highest Latitude Sauropod Nests Ever Found Suggest They Used Rotting Vegetation To Keep Their Babies Warm In Cold Environmentsa baby sauropod hatches out of its egg into a big pile of rotting leaves (they kept it warm as an egg)
nature-iconPalaeontology

Highest Latitude Sauropod Nests Ever Found Suggest They Used Rotting Vegetation To Keep Their Babies Warm In Cold Environments

clock-iconSeptember 9, 2026

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In 2018, Deep-Sea Drilling Caused A Methane Leak 1,766 Meters Below The Sea. Then Along Came The “Worm Bed” To Save The Daylots of worms and a mussel on the seabed

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In 2018, Deep-Sea Drilling Caused A Methane Leak 1,766 Meters Below The Sea. Then Along Came The “Worm Bed” To Save The Daylots of worms and a mussel on the seabed
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In 2018, Deep-Sea Drilling Caused A Methane Leak 1,766 Meters Below The Sea. Then Along Came The “Worm Bed” To Save The Day

clock-iconSeptember 8, 2026

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Tropical Forest Forever Facility Aims To Mobilize $125 Billion To Protect Nature's Greatest Climate Defense – Making Economics Work For Nature, Not Against Itan elephant in the tropical forests of africa's congo basin

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Tropical Forest Forever Facility Aims To Mobilize $125 Billion To Protect Nature's Greatest Climate Defense – Making Economics Work For Nature, Not Against Itan elephant in the tropical forests of africa's congo basin
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Tropical Forest Forever Facility Aims To Mobilize $125 Billion To Protect Nature's Greatest Climate Defense – Making Economics Work For Nature, Not Against It

clock-iconSeptember 8, 2026

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The World’s Largest Living Reptile “Surfs” Long Distances, Travelling Over 10 Kilometers On Ocean CurrentsA crocodile swimming in Australia.

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The World’s Largest Living Reptile “Surfs” Long Distances, Travelling Over 10 Kilometers On Ocean CurrentsA crocodile swimming in Australia.
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The World’s Largest Living Reptile “Surfs” Long Distances, Travelling Over 10 Kilometers On Ocean Currents

clock-iconSeptember 5, 2026

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Scientists Popped Open 778 Tiger Shark Stomachs To See What They Could Find. The List Of Contents Got Really Weird, Really QuicklyA tiger shark / Niuhi (Galeocerdo cuvier), seen going for a bite out of an unsuspecting Laysan Albatross / Moli, off of Lisianski Island in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

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Scientists Popped Open 778 Tiger Shark Stomachs To See What They Could Find. The List Of Contents Got Really Weird, Really QuicklyA tiger shark / Niuhi (Galeocerdo cuvier), seen going for a bite out of an unsuspecting Laysan Albatross / Moli, off of Lisianski Island in Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument
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Scientists Popped Open 778 Tiger Shark Stomachs To See What They Could Find. The List Of Contents Got Really Weird, Really Quickly

clock-iconSeptember 4, 2026
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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?a giant white crustacean on a black background, it really does look like a massive ghost shrimp, but it's an amphipod closer to pillbugs

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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?a giant white crustacean on a black background, it really does look like a massive ghost shrimp, but it's an amphipod closer to pillbugs
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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?

clock-iconSeptember 4, 2026

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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?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?

clock-iconSeptember 4, 2026

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One Of The Deep Sea's Biggest Weirdos Is Back And Stranger Than Ever - Watch Magnapinna's First Live Appearance In The Northeastern Pacific Oceana bigfin squid drifts across the view, it is pinkish with very long arms

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One Of The Deep Sea's Biggest Weirdos Is Back And Stranger Than Ever - Watch Magnapinna's First Live Appearance In The Northeastern Pacific Oceana bigfin squid drifts across the view, it is pinkish with very long arms
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One Of The Deep Sea's Biggest Weirdos Is Back And Stranger Than Ever - Watch Magnapinna's First Live Appearance In The Northeastern Pacific Ocean

clock-iconSeptember 2, 2026

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These Weird Hexagonal Fossils Have Puzzled Scientists For Centuries. Now, We Finally Know What The Maker Of Paleodictyon Looks Likea lump of rock shows a strange imprint of hexagons on its surface

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These Weird Hexagonal Fossils Have Puzzled Scientists For Centuries. Now, We Finally Know What The Maker Of Paleodictyon Looks Likea lump of rock shows a strange imprint of hexagons on its surface
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These Weird Hexagonal Fossils Have Puzzled Scientists For Centuries. Now, We Finally Know What The Maker Of Paleodictyon Looks Like

clock-iconSeptember 2, 2026

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There Are Lifeforms In Antarctica Found Nowhere Else On Earth, And Like A Miniature Version Of Pokémon, Scientists Want To Catch Them Alla huge mountain in the antarctic landscape

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There Are Lifeforms In Antarctica Found Nowhere Else On Earth, And Like A Miniature Version Of Pokémon, Scientists Want To Catch Them Alla huge mountain in the antarctic landscape
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There Are Lifeforms In Antarctica Found Nowhere Else On Earth, And Like A Miniature Version Of Pokémon, Scientists Want To Catch Them All

clock-iconSeptember 1, 2026