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Scientists Just Discovered Narwhal Tusks Are Even Stranger Than We Thought

They may not be unicorns, but they’re still pretty neat.

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Narwhals seem like magical creatures, the unicorns of the sea. Unfortunately, in real life, there is no magic, but there’s still an air of wonder about them, thanks in large part to their huge, majestic horn—which is really just a very long tooth, one that scientists have recently discovered is actually made up of two spirals twisting in opposite directions to help keep it straight as it grows.

The study, published in Nature Communications, used a combo of X-ray imaging techniques to examine two male narwhal tusks down to their microscopic structure. Researchers found that while the outer cementum twists to the........

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