Dung beetles use the Milky Way to steer at night
On dark, moonless nights African dung beetles keep their dung balls rolling in a straight line by following the band of light from the Milky Way overhead.
Sudan has more ancient pyramids than Egypt
Egypt is famous for its pyramids, yet Sudan has far more. The Kingdom of Kush built well over 200 of them at sites such as El-Kurru, Nuri and Meroe.
Welwitschia, the desert plant with only two leaves
Welwitschia, a plant of the Namib Desert, grows only two leaves in its whole life. They never stop growing, and some plants are more than 1,500 years old.
Prince Rupert’s drops: the glass that survives a hammer
A Prince Rupert's drop has a glass head tough enough to survive a hammer blow, but break its thin tail and the whole drop bursts into powder in microseconds.
Earth’s quasi-moon Kamo’oalewa may be a broken piece of the Moon
A tiny asteroid that shadows Earth around the Sun reflects light like Apollo moon rocks, and China's Tianwen-2 probe has now reached it to collect a sample.
Bajau sea nomads evolved bigger spleens for free diving
Bajau free divers in Indonesia have spleens about 50% larger than neighbouring farmers, and a 2018 study traced part of this to a gene called PDE10A.
The Congo is the deepest river on Earth
A 2008 survey found the lower Congo River more than 200 metres deep, the deepest river known, and its violent currents help shape how its fish evolve.
Ethiopia’s calendar has 13 months and runs years behind
Ethiopia's calendar has twelve 30-day months plus a short 13th month, starts its year in September and runs about seven to eight years behind the Gregorian.
Rwanda was the first country to deliver blood by drone nationally
In October 2016 Rwanda began flying blood to hospitals by drone, dropping each package by paper parachute and cutting waits from hours to around 30 minutes.
Peru grows more than 3,000 kinds of potato
Peru is home to more than 3,000 potato varieties, a legacy of farmers who first domesticated the crop around 8,000 years ago near Lake Titicaca in the Andes.