This week crocodiles have been documented for the first time reproducing via parthenogenesis, a patient whose life-improving brain implant had to be removed tells of her human-machine symbiosis, and we ask the question: do those with Rhesus-negative blood really descend from aliens? Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter for all the biggest science news delivered straight […]
100,000 Soldiers: A Geological Oddity Not Seen Anywhere Else In The World
We at IFLScience love a cave. The deeper, bluer, and more terrifying the better. We are also always keen to celebrate the weirdest wonders planet Earth has to offer, and as geological oddballs go, the Trabuc Caves in southern France take the cake. Situated in Mialet, France, the caves are the largest network of underground passages in the […]
Most Expensive Pink Diamond Sells For Record $34 Million In Just 2 Minutes
A pink diamond, described as the “most important pink diamond” to ever come to market, sold for a record-breaking $34.8 million within just two minutes at an auction by Sotheby’s New York on Thursday afternoon. The Eternal Pink is a 10.57-carat diamond that’s said to have a “flawless” clarity. Mined in 2019 at the Damtshaa […]
Some Think Shilajit Is An “Elixir Of Life,” But What Does The Science Say?
Shilajit is a dark sticky substance that has been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years. While there’s a lack of evidence-based scientific studies on this tar-like goo, some modern research has hinted that some of its purported benefits may have an element of truth. What is shilajit made of? The “herbomineral” substance comes […]
US “Doomsday” Plane, Capable Of Surviving Nuclear War, Just Got A Big Revamp
The US Navy has just received a revamped “Doomsday” plane that has been kitted out with new communications hardware to connect the President’s “big red button” to the nation’s nuclear forces. Defense contractor Northrop Grumman recently returned the first E-6B Mercury aircraft to the US Navy after installing five new kits onboard that improve its […]
Who Were The Real Aryans Before The Name Got Co-Opted By Racists?
The idea of the “Aryan race” has been discredited for decades and is now synonymous with racism, notions of racial superiority, and hyper-nationalism. While many may reject it as a bygone designation for a supposed “type” of people, there are still plenty of misunderstandings associated with the term’s origins and where it came from. The […]
After Months Of Warnings, El Niño Has Been Officially Declared
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Climate Prediction Center has officially declared an El Niño, with all the likelihood of extreme weather that involves. The event comes as no surprise, after months of warnings by the World Meteorological Organization and national climate institutes, but the timing of the announcement reflects the fact the […]
“Elixir Of Life”: Single Amino Acid Could Boost Lifespan By 10 Percent
Taurine could be an inexpensive “elixir of life” by boosting lifespan by up to 10 percent, according to new results in animal models. The amino acid is typically found in meat and fish and declines with age, but keeping it topped up in our bodies cold have a life-extending impact if the results translate to […]
12,000-Year-Old Bone Flutes Discovered Sound Amazingly Like Birds Of Prey
Archaeologists in Israel have discovered the oldest wind instruments ever found in the Middle East, dating back to the period when humans made the transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to agricultural settlements. Constructed from the wing-bones of small ducks, the flutes mimic the calls of local birds of prey and may have been used for hunting […]
Three New Shipwrecks Found In The Mediterranean, Dating Back As Far As 100 BCE
An international team of underwater archaeologists made an incredible discovery last year, when they found three new shipwrecks in the treacherous Mediterranean waters off the coast of Tunisia. One of the wrecks is ancient, dating back to somewhere between 100 BCE and 200 CE, while the other two are thought to be from the late […]
The Biggest Ammonite Fossil Ever Found Was A Whopping 1.8 Meters
Ammonites the size of an adult human were gliding through Earth’s oceans around 80 million years ago. Today, their fossils are found all around the world, but the biggest of them all was retrieved in Germany back In 1895, and it was an absolute whopper. It belonged to Parapuzosia seppenradensis, which is thought to be […]
RNA-Editing Octopuses Rewire Their Brains To Cope With Drops In Temperature
Everyone’s favorite smart, sentient “aliens” just got a whole lot weirder: Octopuses are able to recode proteins in their nerve cells to protect their brains from changes in temperature, new research has revealed. When things get chilly, the canny cephalopods tinker with their RNA – the messenger molecule between DNA and protein production – ensuring […]
New 99-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Species Discovered In Utah
A newly discovered dinosaur in Utah is thought to have lived in a time of big environmental change and stood on the edge of a period of rapid warming on Planet Earth. Iani smithi dates back approximately 99 million years and lived in what is now Utah during the mid-Cretaceous. Iani smithi is a special […]
Rebound Relationships: What They Are And Why They Can Work Better Than You Think
The “rebound” is an inescapable trope in romantic novels and rom-coms, understood to be relationships that are started up almost immediately after another one has ended. People who enter into these relationships are often uncharitably thought of as being “hung up” on their previous partners, trying to deal with unresolved feelings by jumping into something […]
Aggressive Rabid Moose Becomes The First Ever Detected In Alaska
The first rabid moose in Alaska was announced by the Department Of Fish And Game after an animal was found stumbling, drooling, and acting aggressively on June 2. Rabies in moose is rare, but not unheard of, and this latest case marks a historic first for the US state. “The moose was unbalanced, stumbling, drooling […]
Are Billionaires’ Extreme Youth-Extending Measures Really Worth It?
Like many celebrities and entrepreneurs, 45-year-old US tech billionaire Bryan Johnson is trying to reverse the ageing process. Spending an average of US$2 million a year on an anti-ageing regimen, Johnson claims he now ages slower than some children. He explains: “the pace my body accumulates ageing damage is less than the average ten year […]
Is A Mysterious Cipher Concealed Within The “Alchemical Hand Bell”?
Scholars are baffled by a mysterious object from Emperor Rudolf II’s collection: a hand bell, made from an alloy of seven metals and said to have been used to summon spirits, contains an enigmatic cipher on the inside. The Habsburg emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612) went down in history as one of the greatest patrons of […]
IFLScience The Big Questions: Is Jurassic Park Possible?
In the 30 years since Steven Spielberg’s movie came out, people from all walks of life have wondered if bringing back dinosaurs is possible. We couldn’t let the anniversary pass without asking scientists working on dinosaurs and cloning if such a feat is feasible. Host Rachael Funnell spoke with dinosaur expert Dr Susie Maidment from […]
Greenhouse Gas Emissions At “All-Time High,” Pushing Planet To Its Limits
Greenhouse gas emissions have reached “an all-time high,” causing human-caused climate change to increase at an “unprecedented rate.” This is, of course, in spite of promises from policymakers and the world’s biggest companies to wean the planet off fossil fuels. A new analysis by 50 leading scientists has warned that human-induced warming reached an average […]
Parents Who Phub Could Push Their Kids Towards Phone “Addiction”
Phubbing: you’ve probably done it, and you probably hate it. Ignoring other people in favor of staring in rapt attention at your phone is unlikely to lead to relationship or social success. But have you ever thought about the impact that parents’ phubbing can have on their kids? A new study has found some evidence […]
