Science Actually

If you or someone you know likes talking about science let us know! 🧪 We're looking for guests to join us on the next season of @scienceactually.bsky.social Presents: The Nerd and the Scientist: forms.gle/Y5kdvmuVJ1Qu...

Uranus has the coldest atmosphere of any of the planets in the solar system, even though it is not the most distant from the sun. #science #sciencefacts #uranus #cold #coldest #gasgiant #icegiant

Octopuses have three hearts: two just to pump blood through the gills and one more to circulate it to the organs. The circulating heart stops beating while an octopus swims, as swimming puts a lot of pressure on their bodies. #science #sciencefacts #octopus #octopuses #heart #swimming

Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise, is the world's oldest known living land animal. As of 2025, he is estimated to be around 192 years old. #science #sciencefacts #jonathanthetortoise #tortoise #gianttortoise #seychellesgianttortoise

Before unleashing their infamous stink bomb, skunks stomp their feet, hiss, and sometimes even do a handstand to warn predators. So, if you see an acrobatic skunk - run. #science #sciencefacts #skunk #skunks

Despite their towering height and tree-like appearance, palm trees are actually more closely related to grasses, lilies, and bamboo than to traditional trees. #science #sciencefacts #palmtrees #grass #monocot

Octopuses (and some other cephalopods) can rewrite their RNA on the fly to adapt to changes in their environment. This allows them to tweak how their neurons function, helping them survive in different temperatures or even enhance their intelligence. #science #sciencefacts #octopus #octopuses

Scientists have found that being in love activates the brain’s reward system in a way that can actually reduce physical pain. #science #sciencefacts #love #pain #feelnopain #happyvalentinesday

Lake Vostok, a subglacial lake buried under 2.5 miles (4 km) of Antarctic ice, has been completely cut off from sunlight, the atmosphere, and the rest of Earth for millions of years - and is teeming with life. #science #sciencefacts #lakevostok #subglaciallake #life #antarctica

WASP-76b, an ultra-hot Jupiter exoplanet about 640 light-years away. On the day side, temperatures soar past 2,400°C (4,350°F) - hot enough to vaporize iron into gas. WASP-76b is also tidally locked. The hot side vaporizes iron, which condenses into liquid metal and falls as molten iron rain.

A massive cloud of gas located near the center of the Milky Way galaxy, which contains a significant amount of ethanol (ethyl alcohol), alongside other complex molecules, is essentially a giant cloud of "space alcohol." This cloud is often described as smelling like rum due to the presence of esters

PSR J1748-2446ad is the fastest known spinning pulsar. At about 20 kilometers (12 miles) across, it spins over 700 times a second - at the equator that’s 24% the speed of light. #science #sciencefacts #pulsar #fastest #psrj17482446ad

Surrounding a quasar called APM 08279+5255, about 12 billion light-years away, is a water vapor cloud containing 140 trillion times the water of Earth’s oceans. #science #sciencefacts #quasar #apm08279 #water #watervapor

Deep beneath Earth's surface, there’s an enormous amount of water trapped inside a special blue mineral called ringwoodite in the mantle. #science #sciencefactds #water #earth #mantle #ringwoodite

There’s a theoretical limit to how tall a tree can grow, and it’s about 426 feet (130 meters). #science #sciencefacts #trees #limit #capillaryaction #watertension #hyperion

The stay apparatus is a system of muscles, ligaments, and tendons in horses that allows them to stand on three legs while resting the fourth. This unique adaptation helps horses sleep while standing up and reduces wear and tear on their legs. #science #sciencefacts #horse #horses #stayapparatus

The One-Electron Universe Theory is an idea proposed by physicist John Archibald Wheeler in a phone call to Richard Feynman in 1940. It suggests that every electron in the universe is actually the same single electron, traveling back and forth through time #science #sciencefacts #oneelectronuniverse

On September 3, 2002, astronomers discovered an asteroid with an unusual orbit around Earth. Further analysis of its trajectory and spectrographic evidence—specifically, the presence of titanium dioxide used in Apollo missions—revealed that it was actually the third stage of the Apollo 12 rocket.

Surfing bathymetry refers to the underwater topography that shapes how waves break, including reefs, sandbars, and underwater canyons. The ideal bathymetry funnels wave energy toward shallow areas in a way that creates clean, rideable waves. #science #sciencefacts #bathymetry #surfing

A humorous concept among the scientific community, often referred to as 'The Pizza Radius' or the 'Thermonuclear Culinary Zone,' suggests that for every nuclear explosion, there exists a precise mathematical distance where the heat flux would be just right to perfectly cook a frozen pizza. #science

Spectralon is considered one of the whitest and most reflective materials known - reflecting over 99% of light. However, it’s not a pigment in the traditional sense - it's a highly diffuse reflective material made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, the same polymer as Teflon). #science

Galagos, also known as bush babies, have large, forward-facing eyes that are fixed in their sockets, meaning they can't rotate their eyeballs. To compensate, they have extremely flexible necks that allow them to turn their heads almost 180 degrees. #science #sciencefacts #galago #galagos #bushbaby

Sperm whales have two nostrils, but unlike most animals, they are asymmetrically positioned. The left nostril is visible on the outside and forms the single blowhole used for breathing. The right nostril is hidden inside the whales massive head and is actually part of its complex echolocation system

Michelangelo had an astonishing understanding of human anatomy, which was so advanced that some of his artwork reveals details that were unknown or poorly understood in his time. One particularly obscure example is the "Creation of Adam" on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. L #science #sciencefacts

The chosen color for most night vision devices is green, because the human eye can distinguish more shades of green than any other color. #science #sciencefacts #green #humaneye #nightvision

90% of the atoms in our bodies were forged in stars - elements like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and iron. The remaining 10% comes from the Big Bang - the universe's first moments which created the lightest elements, hydrogen and helium. Thanks for sharing, Professor Erika Hamden! #science #bigbang

Beavers are incredibly skilled tree fellers, and they rely on their keen hearing to detect whether a tree is starting to fall. When chewing through a tree, they often pause to listen for the characteristic cracking sounds that signal the tree is weakening. #science #sciencefacts #beavers #trees

Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are cryogenic propellants, meaning they are extremely cold, and of all rocket fuels liquid hydrogen is the coldest - reaching temperatures of -253°C (-423°F). #science #sciencefacts #rocketfuel #liquidhydrogen #cryogenicpropellants

Hammerhead sharks have 360-degree vision in the vertical plane! Thanks to their uniquely shaped, wide-set heads (called a cephalofoil), their eyes are positioned on either end, giving them an incredible range of sight. #science #sciencefacts #hammerhead #hammerheadshark #cephalofoil

The National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian, displays a moon rock collected during the Apollo 17 mission. What makes it special? Visitors can touch it! #science #sciencefacts #smithsonian #apollo17 #moonrock

In 2011, a vial of Scotch whisky distilled by Ardbeg was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) to study how microgravity affects the whisky's maturation process. This experiment was part of a study on terpenes, the organic compounds responsible for flavor and aroma in whisky.#science #whisky

Camels are not native to Australia, but the country currently holds the largest population of wild camels on Earth, with nearly one million feral camels roaming the outback, primarily due to their introduction in the 19th century for transportation purposes. #science #sciencefacts #australia #camels

Sperm whales cuddle. These deeply social animals frequently swim close together, rubbing their bodies against one another. This tactile behavior is a form of bonding and likely provides comfort, much like a cuddle would for humans. Thanks for sharing, The Guernsey Scientist! #science #sciencefacts

I think we'll be conducting a little experiment this weekend with a G&T and a blacklight. Listen to find out more about gin. open.spotify.com/episode/1IIe... @scienceactually.bsky.social

Instead of a guitar pick, Brian May uses a sixpence coin. The hardness of the sixpence (made of cupronickel) produces a sharper, more defined interaction with the metal guitar strings compared to a plastic pick. #science #sciencefacts #brianmay #sixpence #electricguitar #harmonics #cupronickel

A slime mold can solve mazes, even though it doesn't have a brain. When placed in a maze with a food source at the end, it will naturally navigate the shortest path to reach the food by extending its protrusions (pseudopodia) into all possible directions, effectively "solving" the maze. #science

Snakes don’t sweat because they lack sweat glands. Snakes are ectothermic (cold-blooded) animals, and they rely on external environmental conditions to regulate their body temperature. #science #sciencefacts #snakes #sweat #ectothermic

Whales accumulate layers of earwax over their lifetimes, forming “earwax plugs.” These plugs reveal their age and even details about their diet, stress levels, and exposure to pollutants. #sciencefacts #science #whales #earwax #earwaxplugs #age #diet #stresslevels #pollutants

While a dolphin can typically hold its breath for around 10 minutes, a sloth can stay underwater for up to 40 minutes, thanks to their extremely slow metabolism which allows for efficient oxygen conservation. #science #sciencefacts #sloth #swim #metabolism #dolphin #holdbreath

Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter essentially have no seasons due to their very small axial tilts, meaning they spin very nearly upright, resulting in minimal seasonal variations across their surfaces. #science #sciencefacts #mercury #venus #jupiter #axialtilt #seasons

Exoplanet HD 189733b's atmosphere is scorching with a temperature of over 1000 degrees Celsius, and it rains molten glass, sideways, in howling 7000 kph winds. #science #sciencefacts #exoplanet #hd189733b #glassrain #moltenglass

The galaxy called "Haro 11" is a starburst galaxy, meaning it’s forming stars at an incredibly high rate. What makes it weird is that it's made almost entirely of gas, with only very few stars. #science #sciencefacts #haro11 #starburst #galaxy #starburstgalaxy #gas #stars

Dolphins use unique whistles to identify each other, essentially giving one another names. #science #sciencefacts #dolphins #dolphin #names

Otters often toss small rocks between their paws, flipping and spinning them with surprising skill. Scientists believe this behavior may help them stay sharp for cracking open shellfish, or it could simply be a way to pass the time until their next meal. #science #sciencefacts #otters #rocks #tools

Banana slugs are hermaphroditic, meaning they have both male and female organs. When mating, their genitalia can sometimes get stuck together. If this happens, one slug will chew off the other’s penis to separate them. #science #sciencefacts #bananaslug #hermaphrodite #hermaphroditic #mating #nomnom

Male octopuses use a specialized arm called a hectocotylus to deliver sperm to the female. In some species, rather than sticking around, the male will detach the arm completely and let the female handle the rest. #science #sciencefacts #octopus #hectocotylus

Gravity is slightly stronger in the Moon's maria (the dark, flat plains formed by ancient volcanic activity) than in other regions of the lunar surface. This phenomenon occurs because the maria are associated with mass concentrations.

The titan beetle is roughly the size of a small mouse, and its massive mandibles are strong enough to snap a pencil in half. #science #sciencefacts #titanbeetle #beetle

Sloths are so slow and have such poor eyesight that, on rare occasions, they can mistake their own arms for tree branches. #science #sciencefacts #sloth #sloths #branches #arms

Our galaxy resides within a region of space known as the Local Group. Surrounding this area is a massive structure called the Council of Giants - a ring of 12 galaxies spanning 300 million light-years. #science #sciencefacts #councilofgiants #localgroup #localsheet