🔎 The Curiosity Files #13
Curiously exploring the mysteries of our past, present, and future
“Curiosity is its own reason. Aren’t you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure behind reality?” Albert Einstein
Welcome to The Curiosity Files!
Twice a week, I’ll journey through the most fascinating discoveries across ancient history, human origins, space, consciousness, cutting-edge science and the unexplained.
🗿 Ancient Mysteries, Archaeology & Lost Civilizations
Hidden tomb discovered by scientists investigating vast city beneath Giza pyramid.
A 'sarcophagus' hidden more than 600 feet below the surface in Egypt is the latest discovery from the team that uncovered a 'vast city' beneath the Giza pyramids.
What Really Lies Beneath the Pyramids?
The announcement of the apparent detection of a whole series of megastructures has caused a viral sensation. Although important to remain sceptical towards these claims—achieved using a unique interpretation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data—their potential connection with Giza’s cave underworld and parallels with ancient Egyptian cosmogonic myths seems important to discuss.
Research highlight: Burials by Homo naledi
After two years of intense reviews and revision, the work on burial evidence from this ancient hominin finds acceptance.
Unusually tiny hominin deepens mystery of our Paranthropus cousin.
Paranthropus was an ape-like hominin that survived alongside early humans for more than a million years. A fossilised leg belonging to a strikingly small member of the group raises questions about how it did so.
Newly discovered 4,000-year-old settlement in Morocco rewrites history.
A new archaeological discovery challenges the long-held belief that the Maghreb was an empty land before the arrival of the Phoenicians.
🌌 Cosmic & Space Mysteries
Astronomers Discover Space Tornadoes Circling the Black Hole at the Center of Our Galaxy.
Observations from the ALMA telescope array uncovered evidence of giant space tornadoes at the core of our galaxy.
Did Life Ever Exist on Venus? Scientists Develop New Equation to Find Out.
The scorching hot planet may have enjoyed a period of watery warmth. During that time, there would have been land-water interfaces that are important for life. This period coincided with Earth's late Hadean and early Archean eons.
New planet named Enaiposha is unlike anything in our solar system.
It started as another exoplanet in a group labeled “ordinary.” No one expected that a world, once thought to be a mini-Neptune, would reveal traits of a super-Venus and change how we see certain planetary types.
Black Holes Could Help Life Thrive, Not End It.
Black holes may not be as life-destroying as we thought. A surprising study reveals that the powerful radiation from active galactic nuclei (AGN) – supermassive black holes in their energetic phase – might actually help protect life on nearby planets.
🧠 The Mind, Consciousness & the Origins of Life
Hippocampal encoding of memories in human infants.
Humans and many other species can form memories during infancy but cannot recall these memories later in life. Scientists investigated the mechanism mediating this so-called infantile amnesia using functional magnetic resonance imaging in awake infants performing a memory task. They found that infants are capable of encoding memories during infancy, and deficits in postencoding retrieval mechanisms are likely responsible for infantile amnesia in humans.
Rethinking repression − why memory researchers reject the idea of recovered memories of trauma.
The belief in repressed memories remains well entrenched among the general public and mental health professionals. More than half believe that traumatic experiences can become repressed in the unconscious, where they lurk, waiting to be uncovered.
Artificial neurons organize themselves.
The new artificial neurons, known as infomorphic neurons, are capable of learning independently and self-organized among their neighboring neurons. This means that the smallest unit in the network has to be controlled no longer from the outside, but decides itself which input is relevant and which is not.
Evidence refuting free will is being misinterpreted, scientists argue.
Recent studies, combining empirical data and computational modeling, suggest prior research had been misinterpreted, and none of it bears on conscious free will one way or another.
🦠 Evolutionary Oddities & Life on Earth
Scientists discover why horses are such exceptional athletes.
A study in the journal Science finds that a unique and ancient spate of genetic mutations was key to the evolution of horses’ exceptional aerobic fitness. Together, these changes enable horse muscles to use oxygen quickly and efficiently, without incurring the cellular damage normally associated with burning through lots of fuel.
How Metabolism Can Shape Cells’ Destinies.
A growing body of work suggests that cell metabolism — the chemical reactions that provide energy and building materials — plays a vital, overlooked role in the first steps of life.
Nobelist Thomas Cech on “Junk RNA”
We can add Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Thomas Cech to the ever-growing list of scientists who reject the “junk DNA” paradigm. Or, more pertinently, the junk RNA paradigm. RNA tends to get left as a sidenote in most discussions of genetics, much to Cech’s annoyance.
Scientists find genetic basis for how much people enjoy music.
Researchers found that over half the variation in people’s sensitivity to musical pleasure can be traced back to genetic differences. These genetic influences appear to be mostly unique to musical enjoyment, rather than being shared with broader reward sensitivity or basic musical skills like pitch or rhythm perception. The findings add weight to the idea that music enjoyment is not simply a byproduct of general brain function, but may instead have distinct biological roots.
Why does nearly all life breathe oxygen?
Nitrogen comprises around 78% of Earth's atmosphere, so why do most lifeforms breathe oxygen? Life can use many other electron acceptors — like sulfate, nitrate and iron — but oxygen is the highest-energy acceptor available.
Can names shape facial appearance?
Prior research has shown that individuals’ facial appearance can be indicative of their given names. The present study probes the origins of this face–name matching effect: whether names are given based on innate facial characteristics or whether individuals’ facial appearance changes to match their name over time.
🚀 Cutting-Edge Science & Technology
Paralysed man stands again after receiving ‘reprogrammed’ stem cells.
Another man also regained some movement, but two others experienced minimal improvement.
NASA’s SWOT Satellite Just Revealed Thousands of Hidden Mountains Beneath the Ocean.
This space-based data reveals hidden underwater mountains and hills, offering insights into deep-sea currents, tectonic shifts, and even potential mineral hotspots. With this leap in technology, scientists are racing to complete the most comprehensive map of the ocean floor ever created, unlocking secrets of Earth’s geology and ecology that were once invisible.
Rogue Scientist Who Gene-Hacked Human Babies Gear Up for More Human Experiments.
That rogue scientist who created HIV-resistant designer babies is apparently gearing up for more human gene-editing research. His home country China, which imprisoned him in 2019 for scientific misconduct and fraud over his gene-hacking experiments on human fetuses that were subsequently born, won't renew his passport.
🌀 Beyond the Known
The stagnation of physics.
Richard Fisher suggests that we should embrace a more pluralist and nuanced understanding of what comprises the cosmos, an understanding that not only accepts but invites criticism from other practices, disciplines and realities into its current predicament.
Which story intrigued you the most? Let me know in the comments below and provide links to any curiosities you have found!
Until next time, stay curious!
I especially liked the story on Paralyzed Man...the idea we can help someone like that...I appreciate your amazing breadth of articles, keeping us up to date....
Space Tornadoes something really unusual going there