Weird Science & Nature
Strange organisms, unexpected discoveries, and natural phenomena that defy intuition.
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Wombats Really Do Produce Cube-Shaped Droppings
Bare-nosed wombats produce roughly cubic droppings. The cause is not a square exit, as often claimed, but variation in the stiffness of the intestinal wall, which shapes the faeces during the final stretch of the gut.
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Why Blood Falls in Antarctica Runs Red
A blood-red waterfall really does pour from Antarctica's Taylor Glacier. The colour comes from iron in ancient brine oxidising on contact with air — not from red algae, which is the explanation most popular retellings still give.
The Odd Five
Five strange things every other week — a historical oddity, a science find, something from Earth or space, one myth verdict, and a question. Sources included, as always.