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About Rachael Funnell

Rachael Funnell

Rachael Funnell

Senior Science Writer

About the Author

Rachael is a writer and zoologist with a degree from the University of Southampton, specializing in animal behavior, evolution, palaeontology, and the environment. As a producer for CURIOUS Live, IFLScience's virtual event, she has led engaging discussions on forensic pathology, taphonomy, entomology, and botany on the Death Stage, with further events scheduled for 2025. As co-editor of CURIOUS, IFLScience’s e-magazine, Rachael crafts travel features exploring the science behind Earth’s most fascinating habitats and landmarks, and dives into the latest sci-fi TV, films, and books. She is also a host on the Break It Down, We Have Questions, and The Big Questions podcasts, and produces and presents video content for YouTube and social media.

Read IFLScience Editorial Policy

ACADEMIC HISTORY

Southampton University, BSc Zoology , 2014

TIME AT IFLSCIENCE

2020 - PRESENT

3,136 PUBLISHED ARTICLES

LOCATION

London

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

AnimalsEvolutionPalaeontology Funerary practiceForensics
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Latest from Rachael Funnell

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Clams Have “Teeth”, But Not In Their Mouths, And It’s How They Avoid A Shell-Based Overbitea giant clam on the seabed has lots of little blue dots lining the shell

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Clams Have “Teeth”, But Not In Their Mouths, And It’s How They Avoid A Shell-Based Overbitea giant clam on the seabed has lots of little blue dots lining the shell
nature-iconanimals

Clams Have “Teeth”, But Not In Their Mouths, And It’s How They Avoid A Shell-Based Overbite

clock-icon5 hours ago

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How Long Can Fungi Live? Some Can Be Thousands Of Years Old, But It’s Surprisingly Hard To Age These “Invisible” Lifeformsa bright blue mushroom on the forest floor

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How Long Can Fungi Live? Some Can Be Thousands Of Years Old, But It’s Surprisingly Hard To Age These “Invisible” Lifeformsa bright blue mushroom on the forest floor
nature-iconenvironment

How Long Can Fungi Live? Some Can Be Thousands Of Years Old, But It’s Surprisingly Hard To Age These “Invisible” Lifeforms

clock-icon21 hours ago

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The Jellyfish Are Organized: Nuclear Reactor In France Hit By Invertebrate Swarms On August 11, Two Years In A Rowmore jellyfish than you could shake a stick at on the ocean's surface

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The Jellyfish Are Organized: Nuclear Reactor In France Hit By Invertebrate Swarms On August 11, Two Years In A Rowmore jellyfish than you could shake a stick at on the ocean's surface
nature-iconanimals

The Jellyfish Are Organized: Nuclear Reactor In France Hit By Invertebrate Swarms On August 11, Two Years In A Row

clock-iconYesterday

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Watch The First-Ever Footage Of A Fish With A See-Through Head Filmed In The Twilight Zone, 710 Meters Below The Seathe barreleye is swimming upwards. we can see through its head, revealing the large eyeballs. it also has a tiny mouth

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Watch The First-Ever Footage Of A Fish With A See-Through Head Filmed In The Twilight Zone, 710 Meters Below The Seathe barreleye is swimming upwards. we can see through its head, revealing the large eyeballs. it also has a tiny mouth
nature-iconanimals

Watch The First-Ever Footage Of A Fish With A See-Through Head Filmed In The Twilight Zone, 710 Meters Below The Sea

clock-iconYesterday
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An Oyster With Teeth? The Curious Tale Of One Of Smithsonian's Strangest Specimens That Sparked A Local Scandalan oyster is glued to the top of some dentures so it looks as if it has teeth

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An Oyster With Teeth? The Curious Tale Of One Of Smithsonian's Strangest Specimens That Sparked A Local Scandalan oyster is glued to the top of some dentures so it looks as if it has teeth
nature-iconanimals

An Oyster With Teeth? The Curious Tale Of One Of Smithsonian's Strangest Specimens That Sparked A Local Scandal

clock-icon2 days ago

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Sloth The Manatee Can’t Blink One Eye. Now, ZooTampa Is Trying Out Acupuncture As A Complementary Therapy For His Complex InjurySloth's head rests on a pool needle as electrodes delivery his therapy

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Sloth The Manatee Can’t Blink One Eye. Now, ZooTampa Is Trying Out Acupuncture As A Complementary Therapy For His Complex InjurySloth's head rests on a pool needle as electrodes delivery his therapy
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Sloth The Manatee Can’t Blink One Eye. Now, ZooTampa Is Trying Out Acupuncture As A Complementary Therapy For His Complex Injury

clock-icon3 days ago

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In 1938, This Incredible Woman Discovered A Species Thought To Be Extinct For 66 Million YearsBlack and white photo of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer with a coelacanth

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In 1938, This Incredible Woman Discovered A Species Thought To Be Extinct For 66 Million YearsBlack and white photo of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer with a coelacanth
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In 1938, This Incredible Woman Discovered A Species Thought To Be Extinct For 66 Million Years

clock-icon3 days ago

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The Moonfish, AKA Opah, Is The World's Only Fully Warm-Blooded Fish That’s 5°C Hotter Than Its EnvironmentOpah moonfish swimming in the sea

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The Moonfish, AKA Opah, Is The World's Only Fully Warm-Blooded Fish That’s 5°C Hotter Than Its EnvironmentOpah moonfish swimming in the sea
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The Moonfish, AKA Opah, Is The World's Only Fully Warm-Blooded Fish That’s 5°C Hotter Than Its Environment

clock-icon3 days ago

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In The Darkest Depths Of Lake Superior, “Zombie Fish” Are On The Rise. Is It A Natural Event – Or Something Else?the zombie emaciated fish is very skinny compared to the normal fish that looks almost like it has a big belly

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In The Darkest Depths Of Lake Superior, “Zombie Fish” Are On The Rise. Is It A Natural Event – Or Something Else?the zombie emaciated fish is very skinny compared to the normal fish that looks almost like it has a big belly
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In The Darkest Depths Of Lake Superior, “Zombie Fish” Are On The Rise. Is It A Natural Event – Or Something Else?

clock-icon3 days ago

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Why Can’t Everybody Sing Well? Turns Out, There’s Hope For Most Of Us Lousy SingersA pop-art style illustration of a mouth wide opening, teeth and tongue on displaying, singing its heart out, as deomstrated by the sound waves drawn coming from it and distorting the checked background

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Why Can’t Everybody Sing Well? Turns Out, There’s Hope For Most Of Us Lousy SingersA pop-art style illustration of a mouth wide opening, teeth and tongue on displaying, singing its heart out, as deomstrated by the sound waves drawn coming from it and distorting the checked background
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humans-iconHumans

Why Can’t Everybody Sing Well? Turns Out, There’s Hope For Most Of Us Lousy Singers

clock-iconAugust 8, 2026

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Animals’ Reactions To Solar Eclipses Suggest The One That Behaves The Strangest Is… Us?the sun's light is being almost totally blocked by the moon

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Animals’ Reactions To Solar Eclipses Suggest The One That Behaves The Strangest Is… Us?the sun's light is being almost totally blocked by the moon
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Animals’ Reactions To Solar Eclipses Suggest The One That Behaves The Strangest Is… Us?

clock-iconAugust 7, 2026

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Orangutans’ Urgent Appeal As Wildfires Sweep Within 1 Kilometer Of Rescue Center. A Horrifying New Normal Under “Super El Niño”?a mother orangutan holds her baby

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Orangutans’ Urgent Appeal As Wildfires Sweep Within 1 Kilometer Of Rescue Center. A Horrifying New Normal Under “Super El Niño”?a mother orangutan holds her baby
nature-iconanimals

Orangutans’ Urgent Appeal As Wildfires Sweep Within 1 Kilometer Of Rescue Center. A Horrifying New Normal Under “Super El Niño”?

clock-iconAugust 7, 2026

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A New Longest-Living Fish? Sturgeon Could Top 400 Years – Far Longer Than Scientists Believed, But Something Indigenous Communities Had Long Understoodtwo adults hold a sturgeon, it's very long and heavy

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A New Longest-Living Fish? Sturgeon Could Top 400 Years – Far Longer Than Scientists Believed, But Something Indigenous Communities Had Long Understoodtwo adults hold a sturgeon, it's very long and heavy
nature-iconanimals

A New Longest-Living Fish? Sturgeon Could Top 400 Years – Far Longer Than Scientists Believed, But Something Indigenous Communities Had Long Understood

clock-iconAugust 6, 2026

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Dinosaurs Had Rocks In Their Bellies. We’ve Found A Bunch Of Them, But We’re Only Now Realizing How Many Juicy Details They ContainPsittacosaurus mongoliensis specimen AMNH 6254. An arrow is pointing to many rocks under its ribs saying "gastroliths"

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Dinosaurs Had Rocks In Their Bellies. We’ve Found A Bunch Of Them, But We’re Only Now Realizing How Many Juicy Details They ContainPsittacosaurus mongoliensis specimen AMNH 6254. An arrow is pointing to many rocks under its ribs saying "gastroliths"
nature-iconPalaeontology

Dinosaurs Had Rocks In Their Bellies. We’ve Found A Bunch Of Them, But We’re Only Now Realizing How Many Juicy Details They Contain

clock-iconAugust 5, 2026
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How “A Little Bowel Movement” 540 Million Years Ago Sparked An Evolutionary Explosion, Changing The Face Of Earth Foreverlots of alien-looking complex life swimming in the ancient ocean

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How “A Little Bowel Movement” 540 Million Years Ago Sparked An Evolutionary Explosion, Changing The Face Of Earth Foreverlots of alien-looking complex life swimming in the ancient ocean
nature-iconanimals

How “A Little Bowel Movement” 540 Million Years Ago Sparked An Evolutionary Explosion, Changing The Face Of Earth Forever

clock-iconAugust 4, 2026
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