Stay Curious

SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AND UNLOCK ONE MORE ARTICLE FOR FREE.

Sign Up

VIEW OUR Privacy Policy

Discover Magazine Logo

WANT MORE? KEEP READING FOR AS LOW AS $1.99!

Subscribe
RegisterORLogin

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

FIND MY SUBSCRIPTION
Advertisement

Bear with us...

Discover has undergone a redesign, but slow loading and comment issues are currently affecting user experience. Stay updated!

ByEd Yong

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

You may have noticed that Discover has had a redesign. This has been accompanied by a migration to new servers, which means that the site is currently loading slowly, if at all, and that comments aren't working yet. Apologies for the inconvenience. If you have any complaints, please leave a comme... never mind.

More on Discover
Bleached coral on a reef
The Great Barrier Reef Experiences Largest Annual Decline in Nearly 40 Years
A scientist holds a chameleon in his hands.
Slingshot Tongues of Chameleons and Salamanders Could Transform Tech in Medicine and Space
Beaked whale
At Almost 500 Feet Below the Water, Experts Heard the Sounds of the Elusive Beaked Whale
Wobbegong shark
Sharks Began Roaming the Oceans 400 Million Years Ago as Deep-Sea Bottom-Dwellers
Bumpy Snailfish
This Adorable Bumpy Snailfish Is One of Three New Species Discovered in the Deep-Sea
latimeria or coelacanth fish
Fossils of Extinct Coelacanths Faced a Case of Mistaken Identity for Over a Century
Ghost shark
Ghost Sharks Grow Retractable Teeth Out of Their Forehead – Not to Eat, But to Mate
Squirrel eating nuts
Rodents' Oddly Humanlike Thumbnails Have Let Them Feast on Nuts Since Ancient Times
giant ice sheet in Antarctica
New Species Identified On Antarctic Seafloor that was Once Covered By a Massive Ice Sheet
Rainbow shrimp vision
Rainbow Shrimp Vision Is the Most Powerful of Any Animal on Earth, But We Don’t Know Why
Bear in Yellowstone National Park
Are Animals Like Mountain Lions and Bears Leaving Yellowstone National Park?
A small freshwater fish without color or eyes against a black background.
The Evolution of this Eyeless Fish Helps us Pinpoint When Caves Started to Form

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe
Advertisement

0 Free Articles

Subscribe