Swiss barn owls are gradually changing color
🌀 Reality-Breaking
“Over the past 30 years, Swiss barn owls have evolved to become more reddish-brown and heavily spotted. Scientists identified the genetic variants behind this rapid change, providing a clear example of natural selection in the wild.”
Why It's Weird
The pursuit of scientific understanding leads researchers down some truly unexpected paths. 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 👀
Scientists discover ghostly, eyeless creature hidden in Chinese cave
Researchers have discovered a rare, eyeless freshwater snail living in total darkness within a high-altitude cave in China. Only three living adults of the species were found, suggesting it may already be endangered.
Earth’s Core Has Been Quietly Leaking Water for Billions of Years
Scientists suggest that unusual chemical signatures in volcanic rocks indicate that water has been leaking from Earth's core for billions of years.
NASA solves a strange mystery hidden inside asteroid Bennu’s boulders
NASA researchers have discovered that the boulders on asteroid Bennu are filled with hidden cracks, which explains why the asteroid loses heat so rapidly. This finding resolves a long-standing mystery regarding the asteroid's thermal properties.
75,000-Year-Old Neanderthal Skeleton Reveals a Mysterious Spear Wound Aimed at the Heart
Archaeologists have identified a small, round hole in the shoulder blade of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton found in Iraqi Kurdistan. The wound suggests the individual may have been the victim of a targeted spear attack.