Facial recognition technology (FRT) is a hotbed of controversy, and here are ten fascinating facts that illustrate its power, pitfalls, and surprising applications.

Fascinating Facts About Facial Recognition

10 The Race Question

The United States grapples with entrenched racial disparities in traffic stops, stop‑and‑frisk encounters, and arrests. African Americans face arrest rates twice those of other groups and are surveilled nearly three times as often.

Studies show facial‑recognition software struggles with this demographic. A 2012 analysis of mug‑shots from Pinellas County, Florida found the algorithms were five to ten percent less accurate at identifying Black individuals compared with white ones. One of the vendors, Cognitec, already supplies law‑enforcement agencies in Maryland, Pennsylvania, California and elsewhere. As Rep. Elijah Cummings warned, “If you’re black, you’re more likely to be affected by this technology, and the technology is more likely to be wrong.”

9 Vulnerability

Apple claims the iPhone X Face ID can’t be fooled, yet just ten days after launch a Vietnamese security firm, Bkav, demonstrated a 3‑D printed mask that bypassed the system for roughly $150. Apple maintains the feat is impossible to replicate. Wired magazine hired Hollywood makeup artists to try, but they failed.

More modest tricks—scarves, hats, sunglasses, or even face paint—have tripped the technology, according to Carnegie Mellon research. Cyber‑security expert Stu Sjouwerman notes that while PINs can be changed, a face and fingerprints are permanent.

8 Apple’s Giant Investment

On December 13, Apple poured $390 million into Finisar, the maker of the lasers that power the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera, Face ID, Portrait mode, Animoji, and AirPods proximity sensing. Apple will order ten times its quarterly production.

The infusion sent Finisar’s stock up over 30 % while rival Lumentum fell about 10 %. The cash came from Apple’s $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund, aimed at boosting U.S. suppliers and job creation. Finisar, founded in 1988 with 14 000 employees, had seen its share price tumble 40 % earlier that year.

7 Facial Gaydar

In September 2017, Stanford researchers unveiled software that could infer sexual orientation from facial structure. The algorithm correctly identified gay men 81 % of the time, rising to 91 % when five photos per person were used. For lesbian women the success rates were 71 % and 83 % respectively. Human judges performed worse, at 61 % for men and 54 % for women.

The study noted that gay men tended to have narrower jaws and longer noses, while lesbians displayed larger jaws—potentially reflecting prenatal hormone exposure.

6 The Future Of Medicine

Researchers at Macquarie University in Australia have trained a facial‑recognition model to estimate health metrics such as BMI, body fat, and blood pressure from face shape. Lead scientist Dr. Ian Stephen says the face holds perceptible clues to physiological health.

In experiments, participants altered their digital faces to appear slimmer, with lower BMI and blood pressure, indicating humans also read health signals from faces.

5 China’s Push For Dominance

China is building the world’s largest camera‑surveillance network. With 140 million CCTV cameras already active, the plan is to add another 400 million over three years, many equipped with facial‑recognition software.

Chinese citizens can pay for coffee, enter attractions, or withdraw cash using just their face. Some cities even publicly shame jaywalkers by flashing their faces on displays. Shanghai announced “intelligent” subway ticketing that combines voice and facial recognition, requiring users to submit a photo for verification.

4 Facial Recognition Gold Rush

In November 2017, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security convened a competition in Menlo Park, pitting private firms against each other to develop facial‑recognition tools for border crossings. The goal: identify occupants of a moving vehicle (≈40 km/h) in light rain, tolerating an initial 70 % error rate.

In January, an executive order accelerated biometric security at borders. While the push promises faster processing, privacy advocates warn of potential abuses. Georgetown’s Harrison Rudolph notes many of these programs aren’t ready for deployment.

3 Fowl Face

Chinese fintech firm ZhongAn Online launched the “GoGo Chicken” project, aiming to catalog 23 million chickens over three years using facial‑recognition technology. The system will monitor flock health in real time, targeting urban consumers who value “organic” or “free‑range” labels.

CEO Chen Wei sees the data supporting farm‑based tourism and lowering credit‑assessment costs. Google has also rolled out pet‑recognition features in Google Photos for dogs and cats.

2 The Faces Of Facebook

In 2015, a class‑action lawsuit in Illinois accused Facebook of harvesting biometric data without consent, violating state law. With no federal ban on biometric data sales, Facebook’s ad‑driven model thrives on such information.

Beyond facial recognition, the company has experimented with identifying people from blurry images using posture, clothing, and body shape, achieving 83 % accuracy. Recently, Facebook filed a patent for technology that would let retailers tailor customer service by reading facial expressions and social‑media activity.

1 Stalker’s Paradise

In March 2016, Russian developers unveiled FindFace, an app that could match strangers in a crowd with about 70 % reliability by comparing uploaded photos to a database of 200 million profiles from a Russian social network. Creators Artem Kukharenko and Alexander Kabakov note the tool can also be used to locate celebrities or even ex‑partners, generating a list of similar‑looking faces.

By September 2017, Moscow equipped 5,000 CCTV cameras with FindFace, automatically scanning live footage for wanted individuals and reporting six arrests in the first two months.

The following horrifying accounts expose the brutal world of North Korea’s prison camps, where any perceived misstep can land a person in a forced‑labor nightmare.

Horrifying Accounts Unveiled

10 Il

Jeong Kwang-il was a trader who struck deals with South Koreans in China, an act the North Korean law brands as consorting with the enemy. Accused of espionage, he was hauled to a prison camp where interrogators sought a confession through brutal torture. His teeth were shattered, and a heavy blow scarred the back of his head.

The infamous “pigeon torture” was inflicted on him: his hands were cuffed behind his back, the cuffs hoisted him so his feet dangled in the air. He endured this suspended position for days, a pain so intense he thought death would be a mercy. After ten months of relentless torment, he finally confessed to fabricated crimes.

Jeong was shipped to Yodok, one of the largest camps, home to roughly 50,000 inmates. A sign at the gate warned newcomers: “Let’s sacrifice our lives to protect the revolutionary leadership of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il.”

Life in Yodok began at 5 a.m. with a meager bowl of rice, beans, and corn. Prisoners were then forced into grueling labor. In spring, they had to till about 1,170 sq m (12,600 ft²) of field each day, with food cuts for anyone who fell short. Winter work meant hauling massive logs over three kilometres, many dying from accidents or starvation when injured.

Jeong survived three years until a senior guard recognized his wrongful accusation. Upon release, he discovered his home vanished and his family gone. Within a month he escaped North Korea and fled to South Korea.

9 Jihyun Park

Jihyun Park’s father fell ill, prompting her mother to bribe border guards and slip the family across the river into China. A broker promised a decent job, but Park was instead sold as a wife to an alcoholic farmer for 5,000 yuan (≈ $750). She endured six years of slavery, toiling sixteen hours a day, finding solace only in her son, Chol.

When Chol was five, authorities arrested Park and deported her back to North Korea, where she was dumped into a labor camp. Conditions were “unspeakable,” with inmates forced to work like animals. Inmates had to clear hills of trees for planting, and they weren’t allowed shoes. The rough stones broke the skin on Park’s feet, leading to infections and gangrene.

Guards eventually decided they wanted her to “die outside the prison camp,” releasing her. Though her wounds healed slowly, she still walks with a limp. Park escaped to China, reunited with her son, fell in love with another defector, and the three of them secured asylum in Britain.

8 Kang Cheol Hwan

Kang Cheol Hwan’s grandfather was declared a traitor, forcing the entire family into a prison camp. At just ten years old, Kang entered Yodok and saw children so emaciated they looked worse than beggars.

He was promptly sentenced to hard labor, carrying massive logs on his shoulder for miles. If an inmate lagged, guards ordered the rest of the workgroup to beat the sluggish prisoner.

Refusing a guard’s order meant being sent to a “prison within the prison” – a six‑month stint in a tiny cell where detainees were forced to sit in cold, muddy water. Few survived the micro‑prison.

Kang witnessed two soldiers attempt escape; both were captured and hanged. Thousands of prisoners were then ordered to line up, march past the bodies, and throw rocks while shouting “Down with the traitors of the people!” Those who refused to hurl stones were beaten.

After a decade in the camp, Kang’s family was released. Five years later, he and another former prisoner escaped to China and eventually boarded a ship to South Korea.

7 Soon

Kim Young‑soon once danced for Kim Il Sung, the nation’s founding father. One day, secret police summoned her, locked her in a room, and interrogated her for two months about senior party officials. She claimed ignorance, yet she, her four young children, and her parents were hauled to Yodok.

Rations were scarce: prisoners received only small portions of corn and salt. Failure to meet daily work quotas meant reduced rations. Inmates supplemented their diet with anything edible—rats, salamanders, snakes—often eaten raw because there was no time or means to cook.

Malnutrition left everyone weak. Kim watched people “drop down dead every day” and saw most of her family perish. She survived nine harrowing years until a visiting military official, who recognized her brother, secured her release. With forged documents, she crossed into China and eventually reached South Korea.

Later, Kim discovered the reason for her imprisonment: she had once been friends with Sung Hye‑rim, the first wife of Kim Jong Il. Because Sung’s marriage to the leader was scandalous, officials erased anyone who knew her, imprisoning them en masse.

6 Ahn Myong Chol

Ahn Myong Chol spent over a decade as a prison guard. He was trained to treat prisoners as non‑human and was encouraged to kill any inmate who tried to escape.

Guards who killed escapees earned rewards, prompting many to shoot innocent people just to secure college placements. Ahn witnessed a colleague order a prisoner to climb a barbed‑wire fence; the guard shot the prisoner and then left for college.

Violence was sometimes senseless. Two girls tried to retrieve noodles from a polluted pond; a guard kicked them into the water, drowning both. In another horrific episode, three dogs broke loose and attacked five children—three died instantly, and the remaining two were buried alive while the guards petted the dogs and fed them special food as a reward.

Ahn’s own father made a few drunken, negative remarks about the leadership, leading to his family’s detention. Fearing a similar fate, Ahn drove his truck to the shore, swam to China, and later fled to South Korea.

5 Il

Kim Kwang‑Il was starving and resorted to gathering pine nuts to sell across the Chinese border. He was caught, arrested, and accused of smuggling. During interrogation, he was forced into bizarre positions—pretending to ride a motorcycle or be a plane—until he sweated enough to fill a glass placed beneath him.

If a prisoner fainted, interrogators claimed they were faking and made them start over. Overwhelmed, Kim eventually confessed and received a six‑year sentence.

In the camp, he was tasked with moving heavy logs up a mountain without any machinery. The work was perilous; rolling logs crushed inmates, breaking bones. When corpses piled on a cart, prisoners hauled the full cart up the mountain, shoved the bodies into a pot, set it ablaze, and later used the ashes as fertilizer for the fields.

Kim was released after serving 29 months and later managed to escape to South Korea.

4 Jin

Lim Hye‑jin spent seven years as a prison guard. At age 20, two brothers escaped the camp; in retaliation, seven of their family members were beheaded on the spot. The guards then forced prisoners to throw stones at the freshly severed heads.

Lim also observed rampant sexual violence. Guards would rape any female prisoner they chose. Pregnant victims were forced to have abortions; if the pregnancy was advanced, the guards beat the newborns to death or burned them alive.

In one chilling interrogation, a guard grew angry with a female prisoner, stripped her naked, and set her on fire—without any disciplinary consequence. Guards were taught to view prisoners as “just animals.”

Lim herself was caught trading in China, sentenced to a short term, and later forced to parade naked before male guards. She finally fled the country and reached safety in South Korea.

3 Soon Ok Lee

Soon Ok Lee served as director of the Government Supply Office for fourteen years, overseeing food and material distribution. When the North Korean economy stalled, she was scapegoated as the cause of the populace’s starvation. She endured months of torture until she confessed, hoping to protect her husband and son.

After the confession, she and her family were dispatched to a forced‑labor camp. Guards berated prisoners, saying, “You are not human beings. You must think that you are beasts; otherwise you will not survive.”

At the camp, she worked in an ironworks factory under scorching heat, causing her spine to shrink, her back to curve, and her shoulder bones to protrude. A mistake—hiding a faulty shirt—landed her in a tiny “punishment cell” where she could neither stand nor lie down. The ordeal left her unable to walk properly for weeks after release.She endured further beatings with leather straps, head kicks, broken teeth, facial paralysis, and chronic headaches. After seven years, she was freed. A few years later, she and her son escaped to South Korea via China.

2 Hyuk Kim

Hyuk Kim was a homeless 16‑year‑old who trekked to China in search of food. Caught and sentenced to three years, he quickly lost any sense of humanity, describing himself as “like an animal… No thinking. No free will. Just fear.”

His day began at 7 a.m. with a handful of cornmeal and 50‑90 soybeans for breakfast. He labored until noon, received another tiny meal, then returned to work. Dinner arrived at 7:30 p.m., followed by a mandatory memorization of camp rules. A single mis‑spoken word forced the entire team to stay up until they could recite the regulations perfectly. Lights out came around 10 p.m.

Food obsession dominated his thoughts. Occasionally, he caught a rat, skinned it, dried the meat, and ate it raw. Attempting to cook the rats attracted guard attention, resulting in savage beatings.

Some inmates bartered for cigarettes—highly coveted contraband. They scrounged half‑smoked guard butts, reconstituted the tobacco, and fashioned new cigarettes. Getting caught making or smoking these was met with severe beatings.

After eight months, Hyuk was released and escaped to South Korea.

1 A

Ji Hyeon‑A attempted to flee North Korea for China three times, each ending in capture and forced return. The third time, she was pregnant. The regime does not tolerate mixed‑race babies; anyone who becomes pregnant in China is forced to abort. At a local police station, Ji underwent a forced, medication‑free abortion.

She was then sent to a labor camp, where she witnessed the brutal treatment of other pregnant women. Inmates were compelled to perform hard labor, and Ji heard mothers scream at night as they miscarried under the strain.One harrowing incident involved a woman who gave birth after an eight‑hour workday. The joyous moment was cut short when a guard ordered the newborn to be drowned. The mother pleaded, but obeyed the command.

Ji eventually secured her release, escaped North Korea, and was reunited with her family.

At this stage, you’d need to have been living under a rock to have not heard of Bitcoin. With the market price recently topping US $18,000, media attention is at an all‑time high. If you’re still wondering what exactly Bitcoin is, you’re not alone—terms like “cryptocurrency” and “blockchain technology” get tossed around, but they can feel a bit abstract.

In simple terms, cryptocurrency alternatives are digital money that live outside traditional banking systems. They rely on cryptography to secure transactions, and most of them run on a public ledger called a blockchain, where every transfer is recorded anonymously. Below is our roundup of ten noteworthy alternatives that could give Bitcoin a run for its money.

What Are Cryptocurrency Alternatives?

10 Ethereum

Probably the second‑biggest name in the crypto arena, Ethereum was launched in 2014 by the Swiss‑based Ethereum Foundation. Their mission? To deliver decentralized tools that let anyone build decentralized apps, paving the way toward a globally accessible, free, and trustworthy Internet. The native token is called ether.

Unlike Bitcoin, which uses its blockchain solely to log transactions, Ethereum offers an open platform where developers can create or run decentralized applications (dApps) without building a new blockchain from scratch. It shines in scenarios that automate peer‑to‑peer interactions or enable group actions—think peer‑to‑peer marketplaces, debt ledgers, or fund transfers—all without a middleman.

9 Dash

Born from Bitcoin’s codebase, Dash zeroes in on everyday payments. Its goal is to provide a portable, affordable, and user‑friendly form of money that works both online and in‑person, with minimal transaction fees and strong security.

Two standout services set Dash apart: InstantSend, which pushes transactions through at near‑instant speed (far quicker than Bitcoin’s hour‑long waits), and PrivateSend, which mixes a user’s coins with others in a single transaction to boost privacy—though it’s not absolute anonymity.

8 Zcash

Zcash, launched in October 2016, is a privacy‑centric cryptocurrency that caps its supply at 21 million units—mirroring Bitcoin’s scarcity model. The key difference? While Bitcoin logs every transaction on a public ledger, Zcash offers true anonymity through “shielded” transactions.

When a transaction is marked as hidden, no details about the sender, receiver, or amount appear on the blockchain; only the timestamp is recorded. In practice, only about ten percent of Zcash transactions are hidden because the extra privacy comes at a cost in time and computational power.

7 Monero

Monero takes privacy to the extreme. Every transaction and account is automatically private and untraceable, meaning no one can link a transaction to a real‑world identity. Unlike Zcash, which offers optional privacy, Monero makes privacy mandatory for every single transfer.

The coin isn’t modeled on Bitcoin at all; it’s built from the ground up to ensure that buyer, seller, and amount remain completely concealed.

6 NEO

Often dubbed the Chinese Ethereum, NEO shares many capabilities with its Western counterpart—decentralized apps, smart contracts, open‑source development—but it enjoys backing from the Chinese government. That official support gives it a unique edge.

Where Ethereum forces developers to learn its proprietary language Solidity, NEO lets programmers work in familiar languages like C# and Java, with plans to add Go and Python. This flexibility makes NEO especially attractive to developers already fluent in those languages.

5 Stellar

Created in 2014, Stellar is an open‑source network designed for payments between financial institutions. It enables “seamless” cross‑currency transfers—send US dollars to a friend in Australia, and they receive Australian dollars on the other end.

Stellar’s native token, lumens, pays the tiny fees required to move other currencies on the network. Those fees also protect the network from denial‑of‑service attacks by making it costly to flood the system with bogus transactions.

4 Litecoin

Litecoin entered the scene in October 2011, two years after Bitcoin’s debut. It mirrors Bitcoin in many ways but boosts the max supply to 84 million coins—four times Bitcoin’s cap—and enjoys a faster block generation time, which translates to quicker transaction processing.

Because Litecoin’s API is fully compatible with Bitcoin’s, developers can integrate it into existing Bitcoin‑accepting applications with ease. Its website even lists over 80 merchants that accept Litecoin, ranging from art shops to clothing stores and gift‑card providers.

3 Ripple

Ripple zeroes in on fast, reliable global money transfers. Its platform, RippleNet, claims the world’s payment infrastructure is still stuck in the “disco era,” using outdated tech that can’t keep up with modern demand.

The native token XRP can handle about 1,500 transactions per second and scales to Visa‑level traffic. A typical Ripple settlement wraps up in just four seconds—far quicker than Bitcoin’s hour‑long confirmations or Ethereum’s two‑minute blocks.

2 Golem

Golem is an open‑source, decentralized network that lets anyone rent out spare computing power. Think of it as a global supercomputer you can tap into for tasks like 3D rendering, massive data analysis, or even scientific research.

At the moment, Golem is in its “Brass Golem” phase, which supports rendering workloads only. As development progresses, the network will broaden its capabilities, potentially reshaping how we approach high‑performance computing.

1 Dogecoin

Dogecoin started as a tongue‑in‑cheek meme coin, sporting the grinning Shiba Inu from the famous “Doge” meme. Despite its joke origins, it’s become a popular tipping currency on Reddit, where users reward each other for funny or helpful posts.

Beyond tipping, the Dogecoin community has funded charitable projects—most famously a bobsled team for the Winter Olympics and water‑well installations in developing regions—showcasing the coin’s surprisingly generous side.

When you think of reindeer, you probably picture Santa’s sleigh‑pulling crew, but there’s a trove of little known quirks that make these Arctic deer truly fascinating.

Little Known Reindeer Secrets

10 Domestic And Wild Differences

Estimates for when humans first tamed reindeer vary wildly. In Eurasia, some scholars argue the process began around 7,000 years ago, while others place it closer to 2,000–3,000 years ago.

Even after millennia of interaction, reindeer are still considered only semi‑domesticated. Two main reasons: they haven’t undergone intense artificial selection until very recently, and most herds aren’t fully confined, allowing domestic animals to mate freely with their wild cousins.

Physical differences are subtle but noticeable. Semi‑domestic reindeer tend to be a bit smaller, sport shorter snouts, and display a broader palette of colors—including the occasional pinto pattern—whereas wild populations show more uniform coloration.

In a region west of Lake Baikal, researchers once milked reindeer intensively and found that the domestic stock boasted udders about 25 % larger than those of nearby wild individuals.

Behaviorally, domesticated reindeer give birth and mate roughly a month earlier than their wild relatives, are less ambitious during migrations, and have reduced endurance on long treks. Most strikingly, they’re far tamer, more tolerant of humans, and readily trainable.

9 Hot And Cold In The Arctic

Reindeer sport long legs that help them sprint across the tundra and evade predators, but that length also threatens heat loss. A clever network of blood vessels solves the problem: warm blood flowing out to the legs runs side‑by‑side with cold blood returning, allowing a heat‑exchange that cools the outgoing blood and keeps the legs from draining body warmth.

Inside their noses, reindeer have a set of bone‑and‑cartilage structures called conchae that look like rolled‑up scrolls. These are wrapped in a richly vascularized mucous membrane.

When cold air rushes in, it passes over the warm mucous layer, heating up to body temperature and becoming saturated with water vapor before reaching the lungs. The moisture then travels into tiny folds that funnel it toward the back of the nose and down the throat.

Exhaled air then slides over the cold mucous surface, cooling rapidly and condensing its water vapor. The result is that, unlike most mammals, the air exiting a reindeer’s nose is relatively cold and dry.

8 Flies In Reindeer Noses

During July and August, reindeer can be seen shaking their heads, stamping their feet, and dashing across the tundra for no obvious reason. They’re actually trying to dodge parasitic flies, especially the bot fly Cephenemyia trompe, which doesn’t lay eggs but instead squirts tiny maggots straight into the nostrils.

The larvae develop inside the nasal passages, eventually burrowing deeper into the sinuses and throat. By spring, a heavy infestation can produce a mass large enough to impede breathing, and in extreme cases the reindeer may suffocate.

When the larvae mature, they crawl back into the nasal passages, where the host sneezes or coughs them out. The maggots then hit the ground, overwinter, and emerge as adult flies.

These flies are adept trackers: their antennae are tuned to the scent of reindeer urine and the pheromones secreted between the animal’s toes, allowing them to follow a trail for more than 48 km (30 mi).

7 Antlers

To sport antlers in December, a reindeer must be female, castrated, or still a youngster. Mature, intact males shed their antlers in autumn, while the other groups keep theirs through winter.

Reindeer are the only deer species where females grow antlers, a fact that has puzzled scientists for years. The prevailing theory is that female antlers help them compete for food during the harsh winter months.

Reindeer dig pits in the snow to uncover lichen, their staple winter fare. Females use their antlers to defend these lichen pits from other herd members, especially larger, antler‑less mature males.

Meanwhile, males benefit from shedding early because many females are pregnant in winter and need extra nourishment. With females monopolizing food resources, the developing calves have a better chance of surviving to spring.

6 Birth Control Shots For Male Reindeer

Male reindeer, or bulls, go into a fierce rut each year, becoming aggressive, destructive, and hazardous to both handlers and fellow herd members. The mating frenzy can cause a bull to lose up to 35 % of his body mass.

To curb these extreme behaviors, producers inject bulls with the birth‑control drug Depo‑Provera, ideally on the first day antler velvet begins to shed—a clear sign that rut is approaching.

Bulls on Depo‑Provera still mate but are generally less aggressive. Moreover, the hormone‑modulating injections seem to extend their lifespan: while untreated bulls typically live 7–8 years, those receiving the drug have been recorded reaching 12 years.

5 Reindeer Noises

Male deer often produce distinctive calls during breeding season, but reindeer take it a step further with a specialized air sac located near the windpipe. When a bull wants to attract a female—or warn off a rival—he inflates this sac, producing a guttural, rattling bark.

Reindeer are born without air sacs; they develop later. Both sexes grow the sac similarly at first, but around ages 2–3, growth stops in females while it continues in males until about six years old, creating a marked size difference.

The male’s air sac is asymmetrical, extending to either the left or right side of the neck. At the start of the rut, the neck muscles swell dramatically, and a beard‑like mane grows around the sac. When the bull calls, the mane fans out, providing a visual cue to nearby reindeer.

4 Eating Lichen

Reindeer are among the few mammals that rely heavily on lichen, which makes up 60–70 % of their winter diet. Depending on the lichen species, they can extract 40–90 % of its organic matter—far more efficiently than sheep or cows.

Like other ruminants, reindeer have a multi‑chambered stomach. Bacteria thriving in the rumen, together with the animal’s own enzymes, break down the tough lichen fibers.

Lichen is rich in carbohydrates but low in protein and minerals. In captivity, without a nitrogen supplement, reindeer will lose weight on a lichen‑only diet.

To compensate, reindeer recycle urea—a major component of urine—back to the rumen. The kidneys concentrate urea, and the rumen microbes use it along with fermentable carbohydrates to synthesize protein. Approximately 71 % of winter‑produced urea is reclaimed for this purpose.

3 A Diet Of Droppings

Spitsbergen, the lone inhabited island of Svalbard, endures eight months of winter, forcing its resident reindeer to subsist on sparse mosses and low‑quality plants. Remarkably, they supplement their diet by munching on goose droppings.

During summer, barnacle geese graze the lake shores, consuming most of the available grass and some moss. Their digestive systems aren’t efficient at breaking down cellulose, whereas reindeer excel at it thanks to specialized stomach microbes.

Studies show reindeer prefer droppings that contain grass fragments over those with moss. When geese form piles of six to eight droppings, researchers have observed reindeer chasing the birds away to get at the nutrient‑rich waste.

Rough calculations suggest that six to eight reindeer could survive on goose droppings alone for the two months the geese are present, highlighting the importance of this unconventional food source.

2 Reindeer Are Fond Of Their Own Urine

Reindeer, like many deer, use urine as a social signal. Both sexes rub their hind legs together while urinating, spraying the air and coating their hocks with urine‑derived chemicals for later scent communication.

During the rut, a male’s urine‑coated legs act as a scent beacon, marking his moving territory and signaling dominance to rivals.

Reindeer also engage in “urine‑digging”: a bull will excavate a shallow pit, urinate into it, and then rub his nose in the liquid for ten minutes or more. Females sometimes follow suit, sniffing the same spots.

1 Reindeer Love Human Urine

Reindeer diets lack sufficient salt. Coastal individuals can lick salt deposits or sip seawater, but inland herds must find alternatives. Like many deer, they’re drawn to salty sources, and oddly enough, they’re especially attracted to human urine.

In Alaska, the Inupiat people exploit this by using human urine as bait in pitfall traps. The scent lures curious reindeer, which wander into spiked pits.

In Russia’s Tuva region, the Tozhu people rely on the same attraction. Their semi‑domestic reindeer forage independently, yet they’re offered salt and human urine to encourage them to return to camp. Men often urinate near a hollow stump or purpose‑built urinal; the urine freezes in winter, providing a lasting snack for the curious animals.

These practices underscore how a simple compound—urine—can become a powerful tool for managing and taming reindeer.

Visible from space, the Great Barrier Reef is the planet’s biggest animal‑made structure, and it’s packed with fresh facts that will make even seasoned snorkelers go “wow”. Over half a million years of growth have produced more than 3,800 individual reefs, each with its own quirky story.

Fresh Facts About the Great Barrier Reef

10 Half The Reef Is Dead

Ecologist Katharina Fabricius has been charting this underwater wonderland since 1988. By 2012 she realized that half of the reef’s coral had vanished. She reached that stark figure after combing through more than 2,000 surveys, which showed an average loss of 3.4 % per year over the previous 27 years.

The biggest culprits weren’t just cyclones or heat‑driven bleaching – the crown‑of‑thorns starfish was responsible for roughly 42 % of the damaged coral. This sea star looks nothing like the classic five‑arm star you picture; it can stretch up to 0.9 m (3 ft) and sports poisonous spikes on its 21 arms.

These pests thrive when agricultural runoff pours nutrients into the water, feeding baby starfish and allowing their numbers to explode. Removing the spiky swarm is a daunting task but essential for reef recovery.

Fabricius’ research suggests that if starfish populations are curbed, the reef could bounce back, even if cyclones and bleaching keep happening. In fact, a full recovery might be possible within three decades.

9 Surprisingly Deep Coral

Most divers only dip down to about 30 m (100 ft) for spectacular coral scenes, but in 2013 scientists discovered that some of the reef’s most vibrant corals thrive at a jaw‑dropping 125 m (410 ft) depth.

Coral polyps usually rely on sunlight‑loving algae for food, so darkness is a tough environment. Yet a submersible exploring the Australian continental shelf found a genus called Leptoseris, typically seen no shallower than 100 m (330 ft). It was also accompanied by the world‑famous Staghorn Acropora, the most abundant coral on the planet.

At those depths, sunlight fades and sponges and sea fans dominate. While the fans and sponges don’t need light, scientists are still puzzled about how Leptoseris and the Staghorn manage to survive where they normally shouldn’t.

8 The Floating Fan Project

Imagine giant fans bobbing on the ocean surface, blowing cool currents over a coral reef. It sounds like a sci‑fi plot, but the $2.2 million Floating Fan Project is very real. Bleaching—caused by heat stress—turns thriving coral into ghostly white wastelands, and the 2016‑2017 bleaching event wiped out half the Great Barrier Reef’s coral.

The Australian government responded by deploying eight massive, solar‑powered turbines off north Queensland. The trial will run for three years, cooling a 1 km² (0.39 mi²) patch off the coast of Cairns.

Even though the turbines spin slowly, they can generate enough cold water to offset heat stress. During the 2016‑2017 disaster, researchers noticed that areas with naturally cooler currents suffered less bleaching and healed faster.

Fans alone won’t solve every problem, but they can protect high‑traffic tourist spots and the 64,000 jobs that depend on reef tourism.

7 An Ancient Avalanche

In 2017, while mapping the deep‑sea floor off north Queensland, researchers stumbled upon a massive, ancient underwater landslide. The slide scattered debris across a huge swath of the reef, revealing previously unknown hills in the Queensland Trough that were thought to be flat.

These formations—dubbed the Gloria Knolls—rise up to 100 m (328 ft) high and stretch 3 km (1.9 mi) long. They’re not true hills but the remnants of the slide, which shifted an estimated 32 km³ (8 mi³) of material. Some blocks were found as far as 30 km (19 mi) beyond the knolls.

One of the knolls yielded the oldest coral fossil discovered, a 302,000‑year‑old specimen. Because the fossil lay beneath the knoll, the avalanche itself must be even older, offering a rare glimpse into the reef’s deep‑time history.

6 The Blue Hole

Blue holes are underwater sinkholes that act like the ocean’s time capsules, preserving layers of sediment untouched by storms or currents. In 2017 marine biologists confirmed a hidden blue hole deep within the Great Barrier Reef, about 200 km (124 mi) from Daydream Island.

The hole surprised researchers with its bustling marine life—turtles and fish zipped through the circular chamber—but the real show‑stopper was the abundance of healthy coral colonies thriving inside.

Birdsnest and Staghorn corals grew in unusual shapes, unimpeded by waves or currents, forming some of the largest and most intricate colonies ever recorded there. The hole’s floor sits 20 m (65 ft) down and slopes toward the center. Geologists think this blue hole could be older than its famous cousin, the Great Blue Hole in Belize.

5 Starfish‑Killing Robot

Floating fans can cool water, but they can’t tackle the crown‑of‑thorns starfish menace. Enter COTSbot, a yellow, tube‑shaped robot built to hunt and eliminate these pests using artificial intelligence.

The robot was trained on thousands of images and videos to recognize a crown‑of‑thorns starfish and ignore look‑alikes like spiky octopuses. When it’s confident it’s looking at the right target, a robotic arm extends and injects a lethal dose of bile salts.

COTSbot is designed to operate autonomously, but for now it pauses if it’s uncertain, snapping a photo and waiting for a human to confirm. Once approved, the arm fires, and the encounter is logged in the robot’s memory, gradually reducing the need for human oversight.

Sea trials began in late 2015 without the lethal injections. When fully independent, the robot can patrol for eight hours straight, delivering up to 200 injections per shift.

4 Source Reefs

2017 also brought the discovery of “source reefs”—natural coral nurseries that can replenish distant, damaged sections of the Great Barrier Reef.

Scientists identified these crucial areas by looking for reefs that showed resilience to bleaching and starfish, and that maintained constant connections to other reefs via ocean currents. Only 112 such source reefs exist, roughly 3 % of the Italy‑sized Great Barrier Reef.Despite their scarcity, these source reefs are linked—through currents—to nearly half of the entire reef system, forming about 208 active networks likened to a cardiovascular system. Their ability to ship fertilized eggs to far‑flung reefs suggests the Great Barrier Reef could, in theory, heal itself.

However, the system isn’t foolproof. Researchers still don’t fully grasp why source reefs are so few in the north, and they remain vulnerable to climate‑driven threats.

3 Plastic‑Eating Coral

Among the reef’s many threats, one of the strangest is its appetite for microplastics. Initially, scientists thought coral polyps were mistaking plastic particles for prey, but lab tests revealed the coral actually enjoys the taste, likely attracted by a chemical in the plastic.

After ingesting the plastic, corals eventually realize the meal is useless. Within a few hours, up to 92 % of the plastic is expelled, but roughly 10 % stays lodged in the polyps’ stomach cavities.

That lingering plastic sits deep within the gut, wrapped in digestive tissue, potentially giving the coral a false sense of fullness when it’s actually starving. Normally, polyps feast on plankton, but they seem to prefer the artificial snack. An estimated 13,000 microplastic pieces litter every 1 km² (0.39 mi²) of ocean.

2 The Reef Almost Drowned

While “drowning” sounds odd for an underwater organism, a coral reef can indeed drown if water levels rise too quickly. The modern Great Barrier Reef sits atop layers of ancient reefs, the most recent predecessor dating back to the Last Interglacial period.

Around 125,000 years ago, this paleo‑reef thrived in seas that were warmer and higher than today—an unsettling preview of a future Earth dominated by unchecked CO₂ emissions.

Rapid melting of polar ice and glaciers caused sea levels to surge, threatening to submerge the reef. The reef struggled to adapt, nearly facing total destruction. Yet it proved tenacious: once water levels stabilized, coral growth resumed.

The lesson is sobering. While the ancient reef survived a similar rise, today’s Great Barrier Reef is already weakened. A future sea‑level jump of six meters (19 ft) could spell disaster for the living reef.

1 The 3‑D Printed Reef

If there’s a prize for ingenuity, the University of Sydney takes it home. In 2017 researchers began 3‑D printing exact replicas of Great Barrier Reef coral structures.

The process started with virtual mapping of coral fields, capturing precise measurements before printing three‑dimensional prosthetic corals.

These artificial colonies serve multiple purposes: they provide shelter for fish that graze algae, act as anchors for living coral, and offer structural support during recovery after storms or bleaching events.

Artificial reefs aren’t new, but this marks the first attempt to recreate natural‑looking coral formations rather than sinking decommissioned ships and hoping life takes hold. The reef’s existing connectivity helps larvae travel from source reefs to these prosthetic sanctuaries.

While these printed corals buy the ecosystem precious time, they can’t replace the urgent need to address climate change, which fuels storms and bleaching.

Trading was the lifeblood of ancient societies, and the most intriguing discoveries—our fascinating finds—show just how sophisticated those early networks really were.

Why These Fascinating Finds Matter

From bustling market squares to tiny glass shards, each piece of evidence rewrites what we thought we knew about commerce, culture, and even disease in the ancient world.

10 A Mayan Marketplace

For decades scholars insisted the Maya never needed a marketplace, assuming the elite simply handed out food in exchange for loyalty and labor. Yet the great cities swelled far beyond the capacity of their farms, hinting at a missing piece.

From AD 300–900, archaeologists noted open plazas the size of a football field with no obvious purpose. In 2007, scientists dug into the soil of Chunchucmil in the Yucatán and ran a chemical test for phosphorus—the tell‑tale residue of organic matter that lingers long after food rots.

The results were striking: those open areas contained up to forty times more phosphorus than nearby streets or patios. A modern Guatemalan market on an earthen floor showed the same chemical fingerprint, giving researchers the proof they needed—Maya cities did indeed host bustling market economies.

9 Lemons For The Elite

In ancient Rome, lemons were the luxury snack of the rich, a status symbol that only the affluent could afford. For a millennium the Mediterranean knew just two citrus varieties—the citron and the lemon—making the latter a rare, pricey commodity prized for its zest and medicinal virtues.

A 2017 study traced the arrival of lemons to about four centuries after the citron first dazzled Mediterranean palates. The earliest Roman lemon was unearthed in the Forum, dated to somewhere between the late first century BC and the early first century AD.

Later, other Asian citrus fruits—orange, mandarin, lime, pomelo—joined the trade, but the lemon (and its cousin the citron) remained exclusive, reserved for the upper echelons of Roman society.

8 Ireland Valued Foreign Gold More

A recent analysis of Bronze‑Age gold artifacts from Ireland—some dating back to 2500 BC—revealed that the metal didn’t come from local sources but most likely originated in Cornwall. The Irish gold itself was abundant, so why import it?

Researchers argue that Cornish gold carried an exotic cachet, making it more desirable for craftsmen and traders. Intriguingly, the same period saw a dip in native gold production in Cornwall and southern Britain, suggesting the metal’s value lay primarily in its role as a trade item.

Today we think of gold as a universal store of wealth, but this ancient exchange shows that the metal also served as a cultural symbol, a religious offering, and even a conduit for supposed supernatural powers.

7 The Niizawa Senzuka Dish

In 2014, a modest 15‑centimetre glass plate surfaced from a burial mound at the nationally important Niizawa Senzuka site in Japan. Though the dish’s dimensions are tiny, its story is anything but.

Laboratory analysis matched its dark‑blue glass composition—lime, silica, and trace antimony—to Roman‑Mediterranean glassware from the early centuries AD. Antimony, a metal the Romans stopped using in the second century, helped narrow the plate’s production window.

Further clues point to a Persian hand that painted the surface before the plate embarked on a long journey eastward, ultimately landing in a Japanese grave. The find rewrites the timeline of East‑West trade, showing that connections between Rome and Japan existed far earlier than previously believed.

6 Chinese Merchants Visited Aboriginals

A lone brass coin dating to the Qing dynasty (1736–1795) was uncovered on Elcho Island, a remote part of northern Australia. This is the first Chinese coin ever recorded that far south, indicating direct contact between Chinese traders and the island’s Aboriginal inhabitants.

Scholars think the coin arrived via Macassan trepangers—Indonesian seafarers who harvested sea cucumbers (trepang) and sold them onward to Chinese markets. The coin likely served as a fishing weight, a practical use that matches oral histories of Aboriginal people trading with Chinese merchants.

While this single artifact may be just the tip of the iceberg, it provides concrete proof that the Chinese trepang trade reached Australia’s far‑flung corners well before modern navigation.

5 Society Of Chocolate Lovers

Chocolate—once a frothy, elite drink in Maya and Aztec courts—also made its mark in the ancient American Southwest. Researchers examined 75 clay vessels from two elite sites—Pueblo Bonito (c. AD 900) and Los Muertos (14th century)—along with eight everyday household pots.

Using chemical fingerprints for theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline, scientists detected chocolate residues in two‑thirds of the elite jars and in every one of the common‑household vessels. The data suggest that cacao was imported in massive quantities, crossing thousands of miles to satisfy a universal craving.

Trade partners likely paid for the prized cacao with turquoise, a gemstone that surged in popularity across Mesoamerica around AD 900, illustrating a vibrant, long‑distance exchange network.

4 The Second Otzi Axe

When Ötzi the Iceman was discovered in 1991, his copper axe hinted at a trade route that stretched from the Alpine border to southern Tuscany. The metal’s composition matched Tuscan copper, suggesting a long‑distance exchange far earlier than scholars thought possible.

In 2017, a second copper axe—half the size of Ötzi’s—surfaced in Zug‑Riedmatt, Switzerland. Despite the geographic distance, its blade also came from southern Tuscan copper, reinforcing the idea of a widespread Bronze‑Age metal network.

Both axes date to roughly 5,100–5,300 years ago, meaning that long‑range trade in raw metal was already thriving during the time Ötzi lived.

3 Ancient Roman Bar Codes

Monte Testaccio, a 49‑metre‑high artificial hill in the heart of Rome, is essentially the world’s largest pile of broken amphorae—about 25 million clay shards that once held wine, fish sauce, or olive oil.

In 2015, archaeologists decoded the “bar codes” etched on each jar: inscriptions that recorded the cargo’s type, weight, origin, the maker’s name, departure and arrival dates, importer, and taxes paid. These details let researchers map an intricate Mediterranean supply chain that fed Rome for three centuries.

Today the mound still buzzes with activity—caves within it serve as wine cellars, nightclubs, and restaurants—proving that even ancient rubbish can be repurposed for modern pleasure.

2 Vikings Were Antler Salesmen

Traditional narratives mark the Viking Age’s start at the 793 AD raid on Lindisfarne. Yet a 2015 study of reindeer‑antler combs unearthed in Ribe, Denmark’s oldest trading hub, suggests a much gentler beginning.

Reindeer aren’t native to Denmark, but their shed antlers traveled north from Norway. Before the famed raids, Norse seafarers likely honed their maritime skills by ferrying antler combs to Ribe’s bustling market, where the items became a lucrative commodity for centuries.

This early trade model supports the theory that coastal commerce helped shape the later, more violent Viking expeditions, turning resourceful traders into fearsome raiders.

1 Woman From Hoxne

Viking plunder wasn’t the only legacy they left behind. Around 30 years ago, a skull recovered in Hoxne, England, revealed a woman who died between AD 885 and AD 1015, bearing the unmistakable signs of leprosy.

Modern analysis identified a strain of the disease that had already ravaged Scandinavia during the Viking era. Researchers link the infection to the red‑squirrel trade—a commodity prized for its fur and meat, which the Vikings exported to southeastern England.

The Hoxne woman isn’t an isolated case; a similar leprosy strain was found on a man from Great Chesterford who died between AD 415 and AD 545, suggesting that the disease lingered in the region for centuries, carried along trade routes.

These ten fascinating finds together illustrate how ancient commerce wove together distant peoples, exotic goods, and even unexpected pathogens, shaping the world in ways we’re only just beginning to understand.

The amazing Viking era is often painted with broad strokes of blood‑soaked raids and thunderous horned helmets, but behind the roar of battle lay a trove of clever engineering. These ten amazing Viking inventions and innovations gave the Norsemen a decisive edge—whether they were hacking foes, sailing across storm‑tossed seas, or simply keeping their hair tidy. Let’s set sail through the ingenuity that made the Vikings more than just fierce raiders.

Why These Amazing Viking Innovations Matter

From the clatter of battle‑axes to the quiet glide of a sunstone through fog, each invention reflects a blend of practicality and daring that defined the Viking spirit. They weren’t just warriors; they were inventors, navigators, and even fashion‑forward groomers.

10 Axe

Early Viking axes began as humble wood‑chopping tools, but over time they morphed into a fearsome weapon of war. The blade grew broader and heftier, and a clever hook was added to the lower edge—perfect for snagging an opponent’s foot or the rim of a shield. The handles stretched longer, letting a Viking swing from a safer distance while still delivering a crushing blow.

These battle‑axes were well‑balanced, making them easy to wield and deadly effective. Though legends sometimes describe them being hurled like javelins, that was a rarity; more often they stayed in hand, and occasionally they were tossed in retaliation after a wound.

9 Comb

Even the fiercest raiders cared about looking sharp. Vikings crafted combs from sturdy deer antlers, turning a simple grooming tool into a work of art. Archaeologist Steve Ashby notes that these combs were “superbly decorated” and often overengineered, sharing the same material as specialized tools like polishers, saws, and rasps.

For a Viking, a well‑kept beard and hair were a matter of pride. Combs traveled strapped to belts alongside swords and knives, and many were even buried with their owners, suggesting a deep personal value.

After the Norman Conquest, antler‑comb production faded in England—perhaps due to new forest laws or rising antler costs. Yet in Sweden, Norwegian‑made combs continued to be imported and used, showcasing the lasting appeal of this vanity‑driven invention.

8 Keel

Borrowing from Roman and Celtic ship designs, early Viking vessels relied on oars and were prone to capsizing in rough seas. The eighth‑century breakthrough was the introduction of a sturdy keel, which acted like a spine, giving ships the stability needed for open‑water voyages.

The keel also provided a solid base for the mast, allowing a massive sail—up to 245 metres (800 ft) in length—to become the primary propulsion method. No longer limited to short coastal hops, Viking ships could now haul food, timber, and even livestock across a staggering 6,400 km (4,000 mi) of Atlantic ocean.

7 Longboat

The Viking longboat was a marvel of medieval engineering—light, flexible, and unbelievably versatile. Its shallow draft let it glide up rivers, enabling surprise attacks far inland where no one expected a sea‑faring vessel.

Equipped with a beitass—a spar that braced the sail against fierce winds—the longboat could tack efficiently as the wind shifted. Unlike many contemporary ships, its hull wasn’t nailed shut; the flexible construction allowed it to bend with the waves rather than snapping under pressure.

These design choices gave Vikings a decisive edge in both war and trade, letting them sail from Scandinavia to Newfoundland, Russia, and even the Byzantine Empire.

6 Magnetic Compass

Scandinavia’s abundant magnetite, or lodestone, became the heart of one of the world’s earliest magnetic compasses. While the Chinese also invented such a device, the Vikings kept theirs a secret for five centuries, giving them a navigational edge over other Europeans.

With this compass, Vikings could brave Atlantic fogs and still find their way. Though longitude remained a mystery, they mastered latitude by observing the Sun’s position—knowing that sunrise marked east, sunset marked west, and at noon the Sun sat due south.

5 Shield

Viking shields measured 75–90 cm (30–35 in) and were built from seven or eight light, flexible planks of fir, alder, or poplar. Rather than being glued directly together, the planks were likely anchored by the central handle and a leather cover, creating a resilient yet pliable surface.The thin wood absorbed the shock of blows, while its fibers could wrap around a sword’s blade, effectively trapping it. When warriors formed a shield wall, these overlapping shields created an almost impenetrable barrier against missiles and melee attacks.

4 Style Skis

When they weren’t raiding, Vikings loved to ski. Although the Russians and Chinese may have invented skis earlier, the Norse introduced the Western‑style ski, a word derived from Old Norse skio.

Skis became essential for hunters, farmers, and warriors across medieval Scandinavia. By the 18th century, Norwegian troops were even holding competitive ski races, a tradition that inspired Swiss soldiers in the 1700s.

Mythology also celebrated skiing—goddess Skadi and god Ullr are depicted with skis or snowshoes, underscoring the cultural importance of gliding over snow.

3 Sun Compass

The Viking sun compass was a brilliantly simple navigation aid. A vertical peg (the gnomon) was set through a hole in the center of a circular wooden or soapstone board, which was held flat.

As the Sun moved, the gnomon’s shadow fell across the board. Sailors marked the shadow’s position each hour from sunrise to sunset, tracing a hyperbolic curve that revealed the ship’s latitude, the Sun’s declination, and the gnomon’s height.

To neutralize a ship’s pitch, the compass was floated in a water‑filled container above deck, ensuring accurate readings even on rolling seas.

2 Sunstone

Calcite crystals—known as Icelandic spar—were found among the wreckage of the 1592 Alderney ship, a clue that Vikings may have used them for navigation. A fragment discovered at a Viking site strengthens the case that the legendary sunstone was more than myth.

The crystal’s shape doubles an image by polarizing sunlight. By holding the stone until the images merged, a navigator could determine east‑west direction even in dense fog or when the Sun had set below the horizon.

When fog forced a Viking ship off course, the sunstone offered a bearing; later, a clear day allowed the crew to correct their path with a sun compass, demonstrating a clever two‑tool system for all weather conditions.

1 Tent

The Viking tent was a study in practical brilliance. Archaeologists uncovered its frame on a ninth‑century ship at Gokstad, Norway. Two crossed beams anchored at each end of a square wooden platform formed the base.

A pole threaded through the upper ends of the beams supported a rectangular canvas—5 m (17 ft) long by 4 m (14 ft) wide—draped over the structure and secured at the opposite sides. The result was a 3‑m‑tall (11‑ft) shelter that could be erected in minutes, complete with a wooden floor.

Even the support beams featured decorative dragon heads, two gazing one way and two the opposite, adding a touch of Norse flair to an otherwise utilitarian design.

As 2017 draws to a close, we’ve been tallying the year’s most eye‑opening breakthroughs—from ancient artifacts to distant galaxies. Now let’s dive into the animal kingdom and spotlight ten truly incredible animal discoveries that reshaped science.

Why These Incredible Animal Findings Matter

Each of these revelations not only deepens our understanding of how diverse life works, but also hints at practical applications—from bio‑inspired engineering to medical breakthroughs. Buckle up; the wild just got wilder.

10 Chimps Can Learn to Play Rock, Paper, Scissors

A Japanese research team at Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute showed that our close primate relatives can pick up the rules of rock, paper, scissors. Seven chimps of various ages and sexes were pitted against a control group of 38 three‑ to six‑year‑old children. Rather than playing against each other, the apes faced a touchscreen displaying two hand gestures and had to select the winning one.

The chimps eventually learned the winning combinations, but they lagged behind the kids, who typically corrected a mistake after a single error. Scissors versus paper proved especially tricky for the apes. The researchers now aim to teach the chimps to compete against one another, narrowing the gap between human and non‑human cognition.

9 Scientists Discover the Hidden City of Octlantis

Octopuses are famed for their solitary habits, but divers off Jervis Bay, south of Sydney, uncovered a bustling underwater neighborhood dubbed Octlantis. Roughly two dozen rock‑ and shell‑lined dens were clustered together, with the cephalopods seen communicating, sharing space, and even squabbling when one got too close to another’s den.

While octopuses already rank among the smartest animals, this communal arrangement challenges the long‑standing view of them as loners. The behavior may be driven by predator protection or richer food sources. Octlantis follows a 2009 discovery of Octopolis, another octopus community that formed around a man‑made metal structure, reinforcing the idea that these mollusks are far more social than previously thought.

8 Marine Biologists Find the Spider‑Man Snail

A new marine snail, Thylacodes vandyensis, earned the nickname “Spider‑Man snail” for its ability to shoot mucus webs. Discovered on an artificial reef built from the USNS General Hoyt S. Vanderberg (a.k.a. the Vandy), the snail’s enormous slime glands produce a sticky filament that it fires with tiny tentacles to snare microscopic prey.

The web not only captures microorganisms for filter‑feeding—much like baleen whales—but also seems to deter predators, as nearby fish steer clear of the snail’s tubes. The dual function of capture and protection makes this worm‑snail a fascinating example of nature’s ingenuity.

7 Naked Mole‑Rats Have Plant‑Like Ability

Naked mole‑rats already astonish scientists with their 30‑plus‑year lifespans and cancer resistance. In 2017 researchers added another surprise: these rodents can survive 18 minutes without oxygen by borrowing a trick from plants.

Unlike most mammals, which rely on glucose, naked mole‑rats metabolize fructose—a sugar that can be broken down with minimal oxygen. A transporter protein called GLUT5, usually confined to liver and kidney, is spread throughout their bodies, allowing fructose to fuel vital organs like the heart and brain during oxygen‑deprived episodes.

6 Fire Ants Build Their Own Eiffel Tower

A Georgia Tech study revealed that fire ants can assemble towering structures using only their bodies. Starting with a wide base, each ant seeks a spot to fill; if the growing tower becomes too cramped, ants abandon the unstable section, causing it to collapse. The process repeats until the formation distributes weight evenly, resulting in a slender, Eiffel‑tower‑resembling column a few inches tall.

This self‑organizing behavior mirrors earlier findings that fire ants can form waterproof rafts lasting months. Understanding these simple rules could eventually guide the programming of robotic swarms that build and adapt without central control.

5 Tuna Fish Improve Speed and Maneuverability Using Hydraulics

Bluefin tuna, apex predators of the open ocean, can sprint past 70 km/h (45 mph). Scientists uncovered a unique hydraulic system that powers a pair of sickle‑shaped dorsal and anal fins. Lymph fluid pumped into channels beneath the fins stiffens them for high‑speed stability, while reduced pressure lets the fins fold for agile turns at slower speeds.

First observed at Monterey Bay Aquarium and later confirmed at Stanford, this vertebrate‑only hydraulic mechanism could inspire faster, more efficient underwater robots.

4 Dragonfly Wings Rip Bacteria Apart

Researchers seeking antimicrobial surfaces have long looked to nanotechnology, yet dragonfly wings already achieve the same effect. Their wing surface resembles a “bed of nails” at the nanoscale. Bacteria first adhere to these pillars using extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). When the microbe tries to move, the shear force on the EPS tears the cell membrane apart.

The natural pillars vary in height, unlike uniform lab‑made nanopillars, potentially offering a more versatile bactericidal design. Future studies will test a broader range of microbes to confirm whether engineers can safely copy this bio‑inspired weapon.

3 Paleontologists Found an Amphibian Missing Link

Two Triassic fossils have been identified as the oldest relatives of modern caecilians, the limbless, worm‑like amphibians that dwell underground in Africa, Central and South America. Named Chinlestegophis jenkinsi, these specimens bridge the gap between the bizarre Stereospondyli of the Late Permian‑Triassic and today’s caecilians.

Previously thought to be an evolutionary dead‑end, Stereospondyli now appear to have given rise to at least one extant lineage, pushing the amphibian family tree back about 315 million years. The discovery forces paleontologists to rewrite textbooks on amphibian evolution.

2 Scientists Uncover Tardigrade Super Gene

Tardigrades, the microscopic “water bears,” can survive extreme dehydration thanks to a newly identified gene. When dry conditions trigger the gene, it produces proteins that replace missing cellular water, allowing the animal to remain viable for years until rehydrated.

This insight could translate to real‑world benefits, such as storing vaccines without refrigeration. The study also shed light on tardigrade phylogeny: they lack five HOX genes that most animals possess, aligning them more closely with roundworms than with insects or arachnids.

1 Monkeys Love Deer

Interspecies mating is rare, but Japanese macaques and sika deer broke the rule twice in 2017. The first incident, recorded on Yakushima Island, showed a male snow monkey attempting to mount two female deer. Researchers suggested “mate deprivation”—the monkey’s low rank limited his access to female conspecifics.

A second encounter in Osaka featured adolescent female macaques mounting stags, complete with pelvic thrusts, antler pulling, and tantrums when the deer walked away. While macaques and deer have a symbiotic relationship—monkeys ride the deer for grooming—their sexual interactions may signal a new behavioral trend.

Keeping up with the news is a full‑time job, especially when 2017 delivered more mind blowing twists than a season of thriller TV. From a president’s explosive debut to seismic shifts in geopolitics, from nuclear scares to dazzling scientific breakthroughs, the year was a roller‑coaster of headlines you could barely keep up with.

Why 2017 Was So Mind Blowing

Because every week seemed to drop a new bombshell—whether it was a diplomatic showdown, a breakthrough in space, or a cultural movement that reshaped societies. Below is the countdown of the ten most jaw‑dropping stories that defined the year.

10 President Trump And Robert Mueller Embarked On An Epic Cat And Mouse Game

Imagine a political thriller where the White House and the FBI are both suspecting each other of being in the pocket of the opposition. That was 2017 in a nutshell: after firing FBI director James Comey, President Trump found himself under the microscope of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was tasked with uncovering any collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

The probe, launched in May, quickly turned into a cat‑and‑mouse game. Among the most headline‑grabbing revelations were former national security adviser Michael Flynn allegedly plotting a kidnapping for the Turkish government on American soil, and Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort being charged with money‑laundering offenses unrelated to the campaign.

While the investigation was still ongoing, the drama promised to keep making waves well into the next year.

9 Sexual Harassment Allegations Swept The Globe

It all began with Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. In October, dozens of women stepped forward with harrowing accounts of abuse, igniting what would become the #MeToo movement. Weinstein denied the accusations, but the floodgates opened.

High‑profile figures from Kevin Spacey to Louis C.K., and politicians like Al Franken and John Conyers, were forced to confront similar allegations. The ripple effect crossed oceans—British politicians, Bollywood stars, Swedish musicians, Icelandic media personalities, and artists in the Philippines all faced scrutiny.

The movement wasn’t without controversy; a few investigations were mishandled, leading to tragic outcomes for two politicians. Still, the cultural shift was undeniable, forever changing how power and accountability are discussed.

8 China Flexed Its Muscles On The World Stage

China in 2017 looked like a rising superpower on a mission. The nation poured massive funds into cutting‑edge tech: a Moon mission, a probe landing on the dark side of the Moon, and a radio telescope aimed at hunting alien signals—pre‑empting SETI’s own efforts.

On the ground, Beijing opened a “new Silk Road” rail link that stretches all the way to London, announced breakthroughs in quantum computing, and doubled down on research and development.

Geopolitically, China’s influence grew. It gave its blessing to the Zimbabwean coup, poured billions into African infrastructure, asserted its claim over the South China Sea, and even threatened India’s borders—signaling a clear intent to be a global heavyweight.

7 Vehicle Attacks Became The New Normal

From Barcelona to New York City, a grim new tactic emerged: vehicle rammings. The 2016 Nice truck attack, which claimed 86 lives, inspired a wave of similar assaults in 2017—Barcelona, Edmonton, London Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Charlottesville, and Finsbury Park all fell victim.

While the death tolls in most of these attacks were lower than the Nice tragedy, the sheer frequency made them terrifyingly commonplace. Meanwhile, bomb-making materials grew harder to acquire, leading to several botched explosive plots, including a failed London Tube bomb and a disastrous bomb factory explosion in Barcelona.

Outside the West, truck bombs in Kabul and Mogadishu caused massive casualties, underscoring that the threat was truly global.

6 Science Had A Crazy Big Year

Science in 2017 felt like stepping into a parallel universe where wonder replaced daily dread. Astronomers witnessed the first-ever collision of two neutron stars, sending ripples through spacetime. The interstellar visitor ‘Oumuamua’ breezed into our solar system, sparking wild speculation about alien technology.

On the biotech front, researchers forged durable synthetic DNA, built nanomachines capable of drilling into cells, and advanced therapies for Huntington’s disease and Hemophilia A. A malaria vaccine began its rollout, offering hope against a disease that claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

Even the most esoteric breakthroughs—like the creation of “time crystals”—found their way into public discourse, reminding us that curiosity still drives humanity forward.

5 Gay Marriage Continued To Be Accepted Across The World

In the year 2000, no country allowed same‑sex couples to wed. Fast forward to 2017, and 26 nations had opened the doors of marriage to LGBTQ+ partners. Taiwan made headlines when its Supreme Court struck down anti‑gay marriage laws, setting the stage for the first Asian nation to legalize same‑sex marriage.

Europe’s economic powerhouse, Germany, voted to legalize gay marriage in June, while Australia’s referendum approved it by a wide margin. Tiny Malta followed suit in July, enshrining marriage equality into law.

The progress wasn’t all smooth sailing. Bermuda’s parliament, after briefly legalizing gay marriage, voted to repeal it, showing that the fight for equality still faces setbacks.

4 Serving Dictators

Perhaps the most unexpected geopolitical shift of the year was the ousting of long‑time African autocrats. Zimbabwe’s 37‑year ruler Robert Mugabe was deposed in a military coup, making way for Emmerson Mnangagwa—known as the “crocodile.”

In West Africa, The Gambia’s eccentric dictator Yahya Jammeh lost a democratic election to store security guard Adama Barrow. After refusing to step down, Jammeh was forced out by the regional ECOWAS bloc, restoring democratic rule after 22 years.

Angola saw veteran leader José dos Santos gracefully hand power to João Lourenço, who promptly purged the old elite and charted a fresh course for the nation.

3 ISIS’s Caliphate Collapsed

Historians will likely label ISIS as a brief but brutal blip in Middle Eastern history. After seizing half of Iraq and Syria in 2014, the extremist group began to crumble under relentless US airstrikes and Kurdish‑Syrian ground offensives.

July saw the loss of Mosul, its de facto capital in Iraq. October brought the fall of Raqqa, the so‑called capital of the caliphate, and a simultaneous retreat from Iraq. By November, the last Syrian stronghold, Albu Kamal, was liberated, leaving ISIS with only a handful of villages and empty desert patches.

The vacuum left behind threatens to reignite old fault lines, suggesting new conflicts could blossom in the coming years.

2 The Middle East Reshaped Itself Dramatically

The power balance in the Middle East underwent a seismic shift. Iran emerged as a dominant regional influencer—its troops helped retake ISIS‑held cities, and, alongside Russia, bolstered Syrian President Bashar al‑Assad.

Iran’s reach extended into Lebanon’s government, the Yemen war, and a strategic partnership with Russia’s vision for post‑war Syria. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia doubled down, imposing an economic blockade on Qatar (an Iranian ally), pressuring Lebanon’s prime minister to resign, and intensifying its air campaign against Iran‑backed rebels in Yemen—actions that precipitated a catastrophic famine.

The rivalry between Tehran and Riyadh threatens to turn a cold war into a hot one, with global repercussions that could touch Washington, Tel Aviv, and Moscow alike.

1 The Crisis On The Korean Peninsula

North Korea, a land barely larger than Idaho, spent 2017 flirting with the world’s first nuclear showdown. July saw a missile test capable of striking Alaska; weeks later, a second test could reach the U.S. mainland.

In August, Pyongyang threatened to bomb the waters around Guam, then detonated its largest nuclear test ever. Two months later, a missile capable of hitting any point in the United States was demonstrated.

President Trump traded barbs with Kim Jong Un in a war of words that felt like playing with fire. By year’s end, the threat of a catastrophic conflict loomed large, with potential devastation for South Korea, Japan, U.S. forces, and a massive refugee crisis spilling over into China.

Hope remains that diplomacy will prevail, but the world held its breath throughout the tense months.

After hundreds of millions of years of evolution, animals have honed some truly spectacular tricks. Below are more examples of animal camouflage that showcase nature’s cleverness, from candy‑colored crabs to poop‑posing caterpillars.

More Examples of Nature’s Camouflage Mastery

10 Soft Coral Crab

Hoplophrys oatesii is a tiny crab that calls the waters around Indonesia home. Measuring just 1.5–2 cm (0.6–0.8 in), it spends virtually its entire life tucked inside soft coral, earning the nickname “soft coral crab.” The coral it inhabits, Dendronephthya, is a fluffy, bushy variety often called “cotton candy coral.” The crab feeds on plankton that drifts into the coral, and its shell is studded with minuscule spines that mimic the coral’s branches. To take the disguise a step further, the crab actually snips bits of the coral and sticks them onto its own spines, which is why some call it the “candy crab.”

9 Lichen Katydid

While most insects aren’t celebrated for their looks, the lichen katydid looks as if a demonic artist designed it. It lurks in treetops across Australia, Central and South America, using an elaborate camouflage that has kept it out of scientists’ sight until recently. Its body is covered in spines that, together with bright lines on a dark background, create a hollow, wire‑like illusion. The result is an insect that looks more like a piece of avant‑garde art than a bug.

8 Dead Leaf Moth

Uropyia meticulodina flutters around China and Taiwan, looking at first glance like any other moth. But when it settles, it transforms into a perfect replica of a dead leaf. Its wings curl just like a wilted leaf, complete with realistic veins that line up with the patterns, producing a three‑dimensional effect with shadows. This clever mimicry makes predators think they’re looking at debris, not a tasty moth.

7 Whitebanded Crab Spider

Misumenoides formosipes, the whitebanded crab spider, roams the United States and Canada. Instead of weaving webs, the female perches on flowers and ambushes unsuspecting insects. What’s remarkable is its ability to change color to match the flower it’s on. By shuttling pigmented fluid through its body, it can shift from white to yellow, but the transformation is slow—taking three to nine days. Consequently, the spider usually picks a blossom that already matches its current hue before it can blend in.

6 Tasseled Anglerfish

Native to Australian waters, the tasseled anglerfish is one of over 200 anglerfish species. Unlike its movie‑star relatives, this fish is a clumsy bottom‑dweller that drags itself along the seafloor. To lure prey, it relies on invisibility. It can shift its coloration to match the rocks, its warty skin gives a rock‑like texture, and long spines and fleshy filaments make it look like seaweed or coral. Unsuspecting fish are drawn to the “lure” or simply mistake the anglerfish for part of the habitat before it snaps them up.

5 Moorish Gecko

The Moorish gecko, a common lizard found across Europe, Africa, North America and Asia, can change its skin color to match its surroundings. Unlike chameleons, which manipulate nanocrystals, this gecko uses light‑sensitive proteins called opsins. Experiments showed that the lizards could match a new background even when blindfolded, proving the skin itself reacts to light. However, when the skin was covered and the eyes left exposed, the color change stopped, confirming vision is essential for this remarkable camouflage.

4 Lanternfly

The lanternfly is a moth‑like insect with a head that looks like a peanut, an alligator or a saw. Its outer wings are patterned and shaped to blend seamlessly with tree bark, allowing it to sip sap unnoticed. When threatened, it flashes its hidden inner wings, which sport large eye‑like spots that mimic the gaze of a predator, startling would‑be attackers.

3 Adelpha Serpa Celerio

Before it becomes the striking black‑and‑white butterfly, Adelpha serpa celerio begins life as a caterpillar covered in fluffy spikes that look just like tiny leaves. Its green coloration lets it masquerade as moss, keeping predators at bay. When it spins a chrysalis, the transformation stage is even more theatrical: the cocoon mimics a metallic green beetle, complete with segmented bodies, eyes, wings, and oversized pincers, deterring hungry predators until the butterfly emerges.

2 Lizard Snakes

North America’s glass lizard looks exactly like a snake, even though it’s a leg‑less lizard. When threatened, it can shed its tail—a defensive tactic that looks like a dramatic “shatter.” A close cousin, the Florida wormlizard, is pink, eyeless, ear‑less, and spends most of its life underground. If it ever surfaces, it resembles a large, harmless earthworm.

1 Poop Caterpillar

Animals employ four main camouflage strategies: concealing coloration, disruptive coloration, mimicry, and disguise. The caterpillar Apochima juglansiaria chose the most unappetizing disguise of all—bird droppings. Its black‑and‑white pattern, combined with a curled posture, makes it look like fresh poop, which predators tend to ignore. Experiments showed that curled caterpillars were three times less likely to be eaten than green ones, proving that looking like waste is an effective survival trick.