WEIRD FACTS
New products range from washing machine filters and balls to fabrics made from kelp and orange peel. About 700,000 microplastic fibres are shed from synthetic fabrics during every wash cycle in a standard washing machine. Photograph: a-ts/Alamy – By Damian Carrington Environment editor …
A film about a comet hurtling towards Earth and no one is doing anything about it? Sounds exactly like the climate crisis. ‘The Earth system is breaking down now with breathtaking speed.’ Photograph: Niko Tavernise/Netflix/PA – By Peter Kalmus Last modified on 2021 …
Wildfires that swept through Sequoia National Forest in California in September 2021 were so severe they killed ancient trees that had adapted to survive fires. AP Photo/Noah Berger – By Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton Last updated …
This year’s winning illusion was titled The Phantom Queen. Matt Pritchard – By Rich Haridy 2021 Dec 29 – An innovative anamorphic illusion has taken the top prize in the annual Best Illusion of the Year contest. Twisting minds for 17 years the contest …
Amenhotep I ‘unwrapped’ digitally by Cairo scientists, revealing details from his grave jewellery to his teeth. The sarcophagus of Amenhotep I, who ruled Egypt between roughly 1525 and 1504 BC. Photograph: De Agostini Picture Library/Getty Images – By Mark Brown Last modified on …
Amid the pandemic, confetti fell on an almost-empty Times Square last New Year’s Eve. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle – By Miriamne Ara Krummel, Professor of English, University of Dayton 2021 Dec 23 – On Dec. 31, people from cultures all around the world will …
Hilary Swank in AI thriller I Am Mother (2019). Photograph: Netflix – By John Naughton Last modified on 2021 Dec 25 – Forget about the danger of robots creating a sci-fi-style dystopia. The modern corporation is already doing all of that. In the …
In 2019, the body of a man fell from a passenger plane into a garden in south London. Who was he? A plane lowers its undercarriage as it descends for landing at London Heathrow airport. Photograph: Avpics/Alamy – By Sirin Kale Last modified …
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. – By Katie Hunt, CNN Updated 2021 Dec 22 – The human story — where we come from and how we evolved — …
Humanitarian groups have been calling for a ban on autonomous weapons. Wolfgang Kumm/picture alliance via Getty Images – By James Dawes, Professor of English, Macalester College 2021 Dec 20 – Autonomous weapon systems – commonly known as killer robots – may have killed …
