Explore the discoveries

Why does an octopus have three hearts?

Three pumps help an octopus move oxygen around a body built for life underwater.

How do wombats make cube-shaped droppings?

The shape begins inside the intestine, not when the droppings land on the ground.

Did sharks exist before trees?

The ocean’s predatory fish have a far longer history than modern-looking forests.

How can a wood frog survive freezing?

A seasonal survival strategy allows parts of a small amphibian’s body to freeze without fatal damage.

Why is coral an animal rather than a plant?

A coral reef is built by colonies of tiny animals, often living with microscopic partners.

How can hummingbirds fly backward?

Their specialised wing strokes generate lift through movements most birds cannot sustain.

Why does ice float on water?

The arrangement of water molecules changes when the liquid becomes an ordinary ice crystal.

Why does GPS need Einstein’s relativity?

Accurate navigation depends on clocks that tick differently in orbit and on the ground.

Is glass really a liquid?

Everyday window glass is an amorphous solid, despite a persistent story about old windows.

How can lightning heat air so intensely?

A tiny path of electrically heated air can briefly become hotter than the Sun’s visible surface.

Why is a rainbow actually part of a circle?

The familiar arch is a perspective effect created by sunlight and water droplets.

How can a laser make atoms colder?

Carefully tuned light can reduce the motion of atoms rather than heat them up.

Why are you a little taller in the morning?

The discs between your spinal bones slowly change height throughout the day.

Why can a smell bring back a vivid memory?

Olfactory pathways are closely connected with brain systems involved in emotion and recall.

Where are the smallest bones in your body?

Three tiny middle-ear bones transfer vibrations from the eardrum toward the inner ear.

How do fingerprints form before birth?

Finger ridge patterns emerge during development from a mix of biology and local physical conditions.

Do humans have more than five senses?

The traditional list leaves out several ways your body monitors itself and the world.

Why does the brain use so much energy?

A relatively small organ performs continuous electrical and chemical work.

How can a day on Venus be longer than its year?

Venus spins slowly while completing its orbit around the Sun comparatively quickly.

Why can sunsets on Mars look blue?

Fine airborne dust scatters sunlight differently from the molecules in Earth’s atmosphere.

Why is the Moon slowly moving away from Earth?

Tides gradually transfer energy and angular momentum within the Earth–Moon system.

How enormous is Olympus Mons on Mars?

A volcano wider than many countries grew under conditions unlike those on Earth.

What are Saturn’s rings made of?

An immense collection of orbiting particles creates one of the solar system’s most recognisable sights.

How short is a year on Mercury?

The innermost planet circles the Sun in only 88 Earth days.

What was the mysterious Wow! signal?

One striking radio observation remains interesting precisely because it has not repeated conclusively.

Why has the Voynich manuscript resisted translation?

An illustrated historical book contains writing that scholars cannot confidently read.

What happened during the Tunguska explosion?

An enormous blast flattened Siberian forest without leaving a confirmed impact crater.

Was the ocean’s “Bloop” a mysterious creature?

An eerie underwater recording has a well-supported explanation involving ice.

What was the Antikythera mechanism built to do?

An ancient gear-driven device modelled astronomical cycles with impressive precision.

What causes fast radio bursts?

Brief flashes of radio energy from space are helping astronomers study extreme environments.