Curio Cabinet / Daily Curio

There’s more than gold buried in the Yukon. On June 21, gold miners digging in the permafrost of the Yukon uncovered a shockingly-well-preserved, mummified baby mammoth that is around 30,000 years old. The miners were working in the gold fields in the territory of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin people when they made the discovery. One of the workers, operating a front-end loader, felt the machine strike an unexpected object while digging near a creek. Upon further investigation, workers found the mammoth buried in the mud. The mining work was halted until two geologists could arrive on site to secure the animal’s remains, which could be the best preserved and most complete mammoth remains ever found in North America. Measuring around 4.5 feet long, the mammoth appears to have been female and was around a month old when it died. Remarkably, she still has most of her hair and skin after millennia underground.
 
Based on her stomach contents, the mammoth seems to have been grazing shortly before death, possibly getting stuck in the mud after wandering off from her mother while feeding. The baby mammoth has been given the name "Nun cho ga,” which means "big baby animal" in the Hän language. Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Chief Roberta Joseph said in a statement, “This is as a remarkable recovery for our First Nation, and we look forward to collaborating with the Yukon government on the next steps in the process for moving forward with these remains in a way that honours our traditions, culture, and laws. We are thankful for the Elders who have been guiding us so far and the name they provided. We are committed to respectfully handling Nun cho ga as she has chosen now to reveal herself to all of us.” Grant Zazula, a paleontologist for the Yukon government, also stated, "As an ice age paleontologist, it has been one of my life long dreams to come face to face with a real woolly mammoth. That dream came true today. Nun cho ga is beautiful and one of the most incredible mummified ice age animals ever discovered in the world. I am excited to get to know her more." It’s a second life for this woolly young one.

 
[Image description: A mummified baby mammoth discovered in the Yukon lies on a blue tarp.] Credit & copyright: Government of Yukon, image cropped for size

For these frogs, every leap is a leap of faith. A team of scientists have found that the reason some tiny species of frogs in Brazil can’t jump well is due to their undersized ear canals. The frogs in question are pumpkin toadlets, which are native to Brazil and are known for their bright colors and extremely diminutive size. Even when fully grown, they’re small enough to sit snugly on a person’s fingertip. Technically, these frogs can jump; it’s the landing that’s the tricky part. When these tiny toadlets take a leap, they instantly lose control of their bodies, often landing upside down. To figure out why, an international team consisting of scientists from the U.S. and Brazil looked at 147 species of frogs and toads to see what anatomical differences may be responsible. It turns out, the answer lies in the animals’ ear canals, which in the case of pumpkin toadlets are so small that they’re practically non-functional.
 
The ear canals of most frogs allow them to orient themselves quickly in mid-air. This is made possible by the fast-moving fluids within the inner ear that trigger nerve cells. However, the ear canals of pumpkin toadlets are so small and contain so little fluid that they cannot get a grasp on their orientation in the time between jumping and landing. So how have these frogs managed to not only survive but thrive without being able to effectively perform the one activity that others of their kind are so well-known for? The short answer is: these little guys just don’t need to jump much. Edward Stanley, one of the scientists involved in the research, told the press, “They’re not jumping around a lot, and when they do, they’re probably not that worried about landing, because they’re doing it out of desperation. They get more benefits from being small than they lose from their inability to stick a landing.” In addition, the researchers say that these frogs have other adaptations that help them survive despite their lack of acrobatic ability. For example, some of these frogs have bright warning colors, camouflage, or simply thicker skin. That last one might come in handy if other frogs decide to tease them about their jumping skills.

 
[Image description: A tiny toad sits on a human hand.] Credit & copyright: Marys_fotos, Pixabay

Fashion might look a little fishy in the future, and that’s a good thing. A Tampa-based company, Inversa Leathers, has been making a splash in both the fashion world and the world of conservation by selling wallets and other accessories made from lionfish leather. Although native to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, lionfish have long been wreaking havoc in the Atlantic and Caribbean, where they were introduced by people. As invaders to the ecosystem, lionfish have earned a reputation for fast destruction. Within five weeks of entering a coral reef system, a single one of the spiky, venomous creatures can devour 79 percent of juvenile marine life in the area. Compounding the problem is the fact that a single female lionfish can release around 25,000 eggs per day, so their population increases fast. Not only does this devastate native fish populations, it also destroys coral reefs. Since many of the fish preyed upon by lionfish eat algae that grows on reefs, their absence leads to algae overgrowths that suffocate coral.
 
An avid diver, Inversa Leathers co-founder Aarav Chavda was shocked by the destruction caused by lionfish. To do his part to help, Chavda teamed up with his friend Roland Salatino to start a company which buys wild-caught lionfish by the thousands each day. Once purchased, the fish are processed for meat, which is sold to restaurants around Tampa. The hides are then taken to a tannery in Ohio where they’re turned into a workable leather, which can be used to make anything from wallets to watch straps. In this way, Inversa is creating an economic incentive to go after lionfish. Chavda told The Guardian, “A lot of the geographies, especially the lower-income Caribbean area, have no market at all [for lionfish]—and so this fish is not only destroying the coral reefs, which sustain these fishing cooperatives’ livelihoods, but they also can’t do anything about it. They could hunt lionfish, but that takes time, and it means they’re not hunting other things. They’d be spending their precious time not on lobster, not on grouper—so it’s very unfortunate.” Looking ahead, Chavda plans to branch out by developing new fashion materials from other invasive species, curbing their spread by creating demand for them as a product. Fish sticks and cool wallets all around!

 
[Image description: A lionfish is pursued by a scuba diver underwater.] Credit & copyright: G1les, Pixabay

It's Flashback Friday! In honor of World UFO Day, enjoy these curios all about mankind’s fascination with the mysteries of space. Take solace UFO conspiracy theorists: Japan is with you. In 2020, the Pentagon officially released some UFO footage—which was so convincingly unidentifiable that Japan is now taking preemptive action. There are two videos, one from 2004 and another from 2015. Both show saucer-shaped craft either zooming by at astonishing speeds or eerily hovering. One UFO is roughly 40 feet long and levitates just 50 feet above water (see below). A now-retired navy commander was in the cockpit of a jet during the 2004 sighting. In a recent interview, he described how the UFO moved forward, backward, and to the sides as if an arcade game spaceship. He also noted how his radar was jammed in the UFO's presence. Even weirder, these UFO sightings were initially leaked in 2017 by To the Stars, a scientific entertainment company formed by Tom DeLonge… of the rock group Blink-182. Evidently, DeLonge turned a fascination with aliens into an effective enterprise? Nevermind—cut to 2020. At a press event, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura stated he firmly believes in UFOs. Which is surprising, seeing as Japan has never formally documented one. Regardless, Machimura affirmed that "[He] definitely believe[s] they exist," which prompted reporters to giggle. Sure, they can laugh it up all they want. But the Pentagon's footage has inspired Machimura and his cohort to instill new UFO protocols in Japan's air force. What a strange—or rather "alien"—time we live in.
 

Below: some of the Pentagon's UFO footage.
 

Image credit & copyright: Pixabay/Victor Tangermann
 

For some polar bears, any ice is nice. Scientists from the University of Washington in Seattle recently published findings from their study of a genetically isolated group of polar bears in Greenland. These bears have adopted unusual hunting habits in the face of climate change: rather than hunting from sea ice, which has become increasingly rare in recent years due to warming waters, this population of a few hundred bears have begun hunting on freshwater ice that breaks off from glaciers. Normally, polar bears hunt seals on large plains of sea ice. Since they’re mammals, seals have to occasionally surface to breathe and rest, which gives the bears a chance to strike. But this group of polar bears in southeast Greenland swim out to floating blocks of glacial ice, from which they ambush passing seals. Researchers observed the bears from 2015 to 2019, and found that they hunted this way for more than 250 days out of each year. It marks the first time that polar bears have been observed hunting from frozen freshwater for such extended periods.
 
Unfortunately, shrinking sea ice is still a major problem for most polar bears. According to lead author Kristen Laidre, an ecologist at the University of Washington’s Polar Science Center, only polar bears living in certain parts of Greenland and Svalbard have access to glacial ice. Glacier ice may help small numbers of polar bears survive for longer periods under climate warming, and may be important to prevent extinction, but it is not available for the vast majority of polar bears,” Laidre said, in an interview with NewScientist. “Climate action is the single most important thing for the future of polar bears. Most polar bears in the Arctic depend on sea ice.” In fact, as ocean temperatures continue to rise and sea ice becomes rarer, polar bear populations are projected to decrease by 30 percent over the next 35 years. Still, it’s good to see that some polar bears have been able to adapt to a changed environment. Now if only humanity would do its part to help keep them afloat.
 
[Image description: A polar bear with snow on its muzzle.] Credit & copyright: 358611, Pixabay

Well, this is an oddly amphibious scene. Archaeologists digging around in Cambridge are scratching their heads after uncovering a ditch containing around 8,000 bones belonging to 350 frogs and toads. The ditch was found during an excavation by the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) Headland Infrastructure, and is located on the side of an ancient type of house called a roundhouse, which dates back over 2,000 years. This isn’t the first time frog or toad bones have been found at excavation sites, but the staggering size of this ancient cache has scientists baffled. It’s also kept them quite busy; the excavation took place between 2016 to 2018, and archaeologists are still sorting through the bones in the hopes of learning more about their origins. Dr Vicki Ewens, the senior archaeozoologist at MOLA, told The Observer, “In my experience, mainly working on sites from London, we don’t get that many frogs. To have so many bones coming from one ditch is extraordinary.”
 
Theories abound regarding how the bones got there, ranging from the culinary to the macabre. They might have been raised as food by the inhabitants of the roundhouse. While there are no cut marks or charring on the bones, scientists say that boiling them would not have left any evidence on the remains. Another possibility is that the amphibians were lured there by the presence of pest insects that were themselves attracted to nearby crops, but then got trapped in the ditch. That’s a likely scenario, considering that the species that have been identified by the bones are commonly found in the area. Yet another possibility is that they froze during a harsh winter while hibernating in their burrows. For now, though, it’s impossible to say what actually happened. As Ewens told Cambridge Independent, “This is a puzzling and unexpected find, which we are still trying to fully understand. This accumulation of frog remains may have been caused by a number of different factors, possibly interacting over a long period of time. We just aren’t sure yet what these were.” May these mysterious, slimy souls rest in peace.

 
[Image description: A group of green frogs with black spots climbs over each other in water.] Credit & copyright: 1195798, Pixabay

Internet Explorer has stopped working isn’t just an error message anymore. After 27 years, Microsoft has finally shut down the much-maligned Internet Explorer (IE) for good. Microsoft actually made the announcement last year, but continued to provide support for IE until June 15. Now, users looking to open it are redirected to Microsoft Edge, the company’s newest browser. While former IE users are filling Twitter with jokes and memes about the passing of an old friend, some are wondering what exactly is next for Microsoft's share of the browser market. Edge isn’t just a rebranding of the same old browser; it’s being marketed as an entirely separate product that’s supposed to be a smoother experience, without the notoriously slow loading times of IE. That distinct user-unfriendliness was why, by the time it was shuttered, IE only had .38 percent of the internet browser market share across all platforms. That’s a far cry from its heyday in 2003, when it held a whopping 95 percent of the market share. As updates on IE stalled over the years, the once-mighty browser found itself sidelined by faster, more modern-feeling ones like Google Chrome and Firefox.
 
Microsoft is clearly hoping not to repeat its past mistakes with Microsoft Edge. On the Windows Experience Blog, Microsoft claims that the new browser will have improved compatibility with websites, including ones that previously required IE to view. It also promises streamlined productivity with a better user interface and resource management. Importantly, Microsoft Edge also promises better user security, likely because IE security was known to be lacking. But even with all its flaws, some people find IE’s departure bittersweet, like an old friend they grew apart from. After all, IE was many people’s very first browser, back in the days before Zoom calls and social media changed the internet landscape forever. Goodnight, sweet cyberspace prince.

 
[Image description: A woman chews nervously on a pencil while looking at her laptop screen.] Credit & copyright: JESHOOTS-com, Pixabay

How much would you stick your neck out for a potential date? According to some new research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, some long-extinct members of the superfamily Giraffoidea, which includes modern giraffes and okapi, really went all out when it came to securing a mate. In fact, their sexual selection habits might have been a factor in the evolution of giraffes’ long necks. While it’s common knowledge that giraffes use their necks to reach out-of-the-way leaves, that’s not all they’re for. Male giraffes engage in ritualistic combat with each other to impress a female giraffe, with the winner getting to mate and pass on their genes. These fights involve the males violently swinging their necks to strike the other’s neck and torso, and it can get pretty brutal. The animals’ funny-looking horns play a role too—the bony protrusions act as a weapon in these head-to-head and neck-to-neck clashes. A giraffe with a longer neck has a higher chance of victory, since it allows them to swing harder and hurt their opponents more.
 
This history of violence in the giraffe family started with Discokeryx xiezhi, a distant ancestor. Based on their fossil remains, they had thick plates on their heads which were likely used for fighting each other. Shiqi Wang, a co-author of the study on the subject, stated in a press release, "Both living giraffes and Discokeryx xiezhi belong to the Giraffoidea, a superfamily. Although their skull and neck morphologies differ greatly, both are associated with male courtship struggles and both have evolved in an extreme direction.” That direction took them to new heights in conjunction with their ecological niche of feeding on high foliage. It’s possible that without the natural selection from reaching for taller sources of food and the sexual selection from using their necks as weapons, the giraffe of today might look a little less fun to look at. Luckily, lady giraffes seem to like their fellas tall.

 
[Image description: Two male giraffes fight using their necks] Credit & copyright: hyper7pro, Wikimedia Commons, image cropped for size.