This week, the dangerous asteroid that might hit the Moon has a very unusual origin, one of the most bitter compounds in the natural world can be found in a common mushroom, and a potential long COVID drug has been successfully tested on mice, sparking hope for a much-needed treatment. Finally, we ask: Is time […]
We Caught A Black Hole Waking Up – And There’s Something Odd About Its Flares
Last summer, researchers announced the first ever detection of a supermassive black hole being spotted as it awoke. The object, known as SDSS1335+0728 and nicknamed Ansky, is one of a kind. We have seen the effects of active black holes and the lack of activity of sleeping ones, but we had never witnessed the changes […]
We May Finally Understand Many Cancers’ Weak Point As Long-Standing Mystery Solved
Malfunctioning of the enzyme CDK7 is crucial to many cancers, making drugs that target it a high priority. Despite some demonstrated success, the mechanism by which these drugs work has been a mystery for decades, impeding progress in developing better ones. An answer to that puzzle could open the path to variations that could save […]
Black Brain Spots Reveal Possible Direct Link Between Cannabis Use And Psychosis
Excessive cannabis use causes dopamine signaling to spin out of control in a part of the brain that is strongly linked to schizophrenia, new research reveals. Using brain imaging techniques, the study authors were able to observe black spots in this critical neurological region, providing the clearest evidence yet for a direct link between cannabis […]
This American Dialect Is Like A Time Capsule Of 17th-Century Britain And Ireland
Island-dwellers in North Carolina’s Outer Banks speak a dialect that’s like a linguistic time capsule. To the common ear, it might sound like a charming mash-up of West Country English, Scottish, and Irish, with perhaps a sprinkling of “pirate accent” – but that’s not surprising given its history. It’s known as “High Tider,” or (to […]
Dire Wolves, Intersex Whales, And That Dangerous Asteroid’s Unusual Origin
This week on Break It Down: old skin samples have revealed the first-ever evidence for an intersex Southern right whale, a dangerous asteroid that might hit the Moon has an unusual origin, what dire wolf “de-extinction” really means and how it’s helping red wolves, a mushroom that contains one of the most bitter compounds known […]
The US Just Got Its First “National Park City” After Making A Green Bounce Back
Once known as one of the smoggiest, most polluted cities in the US, Chattanooga in Tennessee has just been recognized as the first National Park City in North America. In 1969, Chattanooga was named as “worst city in the nation for particulate air pollution” by the US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Known as […]
The World’s Largest Wildlife Crossing Spans Over 60 Meters Across A Californian Freeway
Over the last three years, a huge bridge has appeared across California’s Ventura Freeway – but this isn’t just any old overpass. This one is set to be the world’s largest wildlife crossing, and it’s being built with the aim of reconnecting some of the state’s most important animal life. Known as the Wallis Annenberg […]
This Weekend’s Full Moon Will Be The Smallest Since 2020
It has been an exciting few weeks for the Moon. Last month, there was a total lunar eclipse with a beautiful “Blood Moon“. Not content with being center stage across the Americas, it also obscured the Sun in a partial solar eclipse only two weeks ago. This weekend, the full Moon is back again, and […]
Ancient Rhinos Lived In Super-Herds 12 Million Years Ago, Analysis Of Supervolcano Victims Reveals
A tragic accident that befell ancient rhinos in the mid-Miocene era has allowed scientists to determine that these massive mammals, which once thrived across North America, used to gather in huge super-herds. Around 12 million years ago, over 100 prehistoric rhinos (Teleoceras major) gathered at a single water hole in what is now northeast Nebraska. […]
Which Is The Brightest Planet, As Seen From Mars?
If astronauts ever land on Mars, and certainly if tourists do, they’ll soon send home photos of themselves pointing at a pale blue dot in the evening sky to indicate where they came from. Have you ever wondered how Earth will compare in that sky with Venus or Jupiter? Wonder no longer. What determines a […]
Rare Stories About Merlin And King Arthur Digitally Reconstructed From Circa 13th Century Text
Part of a 13th century manuscript containing rare stories about Merlin and King Arthur has been discovered at Cambridge University Library. The remarkable text had been repurposed as binding for a 16th century archival register, remaining hidden from view until it was rediscovered in 2019. The manuscript contains part the Suite Vulgate du Merlin, a […]
The Possible Mass Of The Neutrino Is Now Half What It Used To Be
Neutrinos are the most common particles in the universe. Not having an electric charge and being very light, they can move to almost everything, with trillions flowing through any of us any second. The small mass of the neutrino has been a crucial quest in physics and we still do not know exactly how light […]
Meet Sue The Fossil, An “Inside-out, Legless, Headless Wonder” That Dates Back 444 Million Years
A new species of primitive arthropod dating back 444 million years has been discovered in the Soom Shale, a site north of Cape Town in South Africa. The baffling specimen is so bizarre that its exact evolutionary relationships remain frustratingly elusive, says discoverer Professor Sarah Gabbott from the University of Leicester School of Geography, Geology […]
Use Of Facts And Evidence-Based Rhetoric At All-Time Low In Congressional Speech
What can we say – the political environment is pretty wild at the moment, and it does seem like we are hearing more about politician’s personal opinions, rather than facts, these days. But is this really a change from the past? Is the rise in “alternative facts” being spouted by high-profile individuals any more prevalent […]
The “Weird And Weak” La Niña Is Over And Earth Has Slipped Into The Neutral Zone
La Niña didn’t stick around for long. After just a few months, La Niña conditions have subsided and the eastern tropical Pacific has entered an ENSO-neutral phase that’s expected to continue in the Northern Hemisphere until summer. That might be a lot of buzzwords, so what does it actually mean? La Niña and El Niño […]
People Are Just Now Learning Why Shotgun Shells Sometimes Contain Seeds
A Reddit user has sparked confusion on the “mildly interesting” subreddit, after discovering that their shotgun shells contain shot (predictable) and a whole load of flax seed (not so much). “These shells were made specifically for waterfowl hunting,” Reddit user Benbablin explained, after posting an image of the shells. “The BBs themselves are steel as […]
Clues To How Humans Migrated Out Of Africa, Hidden In Saudi Arabian Caves
One of the driest places on Earth – the Saharo-Arabian Desert – may not have always been the arid landscape it is today. A new study, which examined the hydroclimate of the area over the course of 8 million years, has found that it has had much more pleasant and humid conditions in the past. […]
We’ve Found Another Denisovan Fossil – At The Bottom Of The Sea!
An ancient human jawbone dredged from the bottom of the Taiwan Strait has been confirmed as a Denisovan fossil, proving that this enigmatic extinct human species once lived all over Asia. Recovered from a depth of between 60 and 120 meters (197 to 394 feet) in the Penghu Channel, the prehistoric mandible was initially retrieved […]
What Is SSPE? The Devastating Complication Of Measles That Hits Years Down The Road
Measles is having a resurgence. Once among the most feared diseases of childhood, the development of safe and effective vaccines meant that a run-in with the illness no longer needed to be a rite of passage. But now, decreasing vaccination coverage has seen outbreaks springing up in countries that had previously eliminated the disease. As […]
