518-million-year-old fossil reveals new details about starfish evolution
🌀 Reality-Breaking
“Newly discovered fossils from China suggest that early starfish ancestors lived on the seabed with feathery feeding arms, rather than burrowing as previously thought.”
Why It's Weird
Scientific breakthroughs often sound absurd until you understand the brilliant logic behind them. The moderate weirdness score suggests this is unusual but not completely unprecedented.
Read the full oddity in the app
Oddly Enough on the web is for discovery. Open the iPhone app for the complete story, offline saves, and your personalised feed.
Get Oddly Enough for iPhoneFull articles are available in the app.
Get Oddly Enough on iOS
Your daily dose of the world's weirdest, most wonderful news. Original articles, 100% autonomous.
Download on the App StoreYou might also like 👀
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/5f/6c/5f6c0f39-bd93-4c2a-9605-b518b8574158/irish_sheep_71088397.jpeg)
The Ancient DNA of a Deadly Animal Virus Has Been Lurking in Medieval Manuscripts for Centuries, Researchers Find
Researchers analyzing medieval manuscripts discovered traces of ancient DNA from the sheep pox virus, suggesting the disease has existed for 3,700 years.
Brain Implant Lets a Paralyzed Patient Speak and Gesture at the Same Time
Researchers have developed a brain implant system that allows a paralyzed patient to communicate through both spoken words and physical gestures using a virtual avatar.
The odd psychological reason you want to aggressively squish cute cats and dogs
Researchers have identified a scientific explanation for the common urge to squeeze or pinch cute animals, a phenomenon known as 'cute aggression'.
Astronomers just found the youngest known planet ever
Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of Elias 2-24 b, a Jupiter-sized exoplanet less than a million years old that is still in the process of forming.