Space has dramatically changed in the last decade. It is now cheaper and easier to get stuff into space, and the consequences of this space rush are not fully understood. There are environmental effects here on Earth and the risk of increasing junk in space, and the research and regulation that underpins our understanding and […]
Invasive, Venomous Ants Lived Under The Radar In The US For 90 Years – Now They’re Spreading
Creepy crawlies can get mixed reviews from even the most enthusiastic of animal lovers. From wasps annoying you during a picnic in the park to ticks spreading Lyme disease, the range of problems these smaller critters can cause is pretty remarkable. Now, an invasive species of ant is causing concern across the USA. Asian needle […]
Updated Prognosis: The Universe May End 10¹⁰²² Years Sooner Than We Thought
According to a new study, the universe may decay many orders of magnitude faster than we thought. The study, which looked at the Hawking radiation of stellar remnants, predicts that the universe will end 101022 years sooner than previously predicted. According to the team, given these lifetimes of stellar objects, we may be able to […]
When You Get Your Fingers Wet They Wrinkle In The Same Pattern Every Time
A new study inspired by a student’s question has found something surprising about human fingers, and how they wrinkle after being placed in water. When you put your fingers into water for a reasonable amount of time, you probably notice that they begin to go wrinkly, or “prune-like” in appearance. While you may reasonably guess […]
World-First Footage Shows The Devastating Impact Of Trawling As It’s Happening
Sir David Attenborough’s latest film OCEAN includes chilling footage of trawling from a point-of-view never seen before: the animals in its path. Cephalopods and rays can be seen fleeing the wall of rope and metal as it charges across the seabed destroying everything in its path, a heartbreaking visual that powerfully underpins Attenborough’s message: “If […]
Blue Galdieria Algae Extract Among 3 Natural Food Dyes Newly Approved By FDA
As part of its mission to “Make America Healthy Again”, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently put food dyes firmly in its crosshairs. Now, HHS has announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted three petitions for new, natural color additives. In April 2025, HHS announced its intentions to […]
Plastic Chemicals May Delay The Internal Body Clock By 17 Minutes, According To Study
Chemicals in furniture and children’s toys could impact the quality of your sleep. New research shows that chemicals hidden in plastics can interfere with the circadian rhythm, delaying the internal body clock by up to 17 minutes. This, in turn, may increase the risk of developing sleep disorders and health problems, such as diabetes and […]
Widespread Availability Of RSV Vaccine Linked To Fall In Baby Hospitalizations
There was a significant drop in the number of babies hospitalized with RSV this year; a positive news story that can be attributed to the effectiveness of two new products. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the number one cause of hospitalizations among infants in the US, with two to three of every 100 babies under […]
How Often Should You Wash Your Bedding?
It’s a chore many dread but the science suggests most of us should be washing our bedding more often. Experts advise changing the sheets once a week – or once every two weeks at the very most. The average person spends a third of their life sleeping (or attempting to), so needless to say […]
What’s The Youngest Language In The World?
What’s the youngest language in the world? This might sound like a straightforward question, but as with all seemingly simple questions, the answer kind of depends on what you mean. What makes a language can be somewhat subjective, depending on how you differentiate a language from a dialect or a creole (a language that developed […]
Look Alert: The Most Active Volcano In the Pacific Northwest Is Probably About To Blow, Maybe
There’s a huge volcano in northwest US territory, and all signs say it’s about to blow. The result is set to be a massive eruption, with lava reaching up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) in any direction, huge and deafening implosions, and massive disruption to the surrounding ecology. Wait, what? Yellow… stone? No, never heard […]
Should We Be Using Microwaves?
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What Is The Largest Deer On Earth?
Deers are among the most diverse and adaptable families of mammals, existing in habitats as diverse as the frigid tundras of Svalbard and the rainforests of Borneo. There are 47 known species worldwide, including the muntjac deer (with its downright alien-like flaring scent glands) and the recently discovered Pudella carlae – but which is the […]
World’s First CRISPR-Edited Spider Produces Glowing Red Silk From Its Spinneret
The common house spider – you may look at it and think “Oh, what a beauty, my lovely house companion!” Or if you are not like me and you have arachnophobia, you may run away screaming. For one group of scientists, they looked at this spider and thought of innovation and the future – and […]
First Ever Image Of “Free Floating” Atoms, The Nocebo Effect Beats The Placebo Effect When It Comes To Pain, And Much More This Week
This week, new research suggests 99.999 percent of the deep ocean has never been observed by humans, a new species of “accordion worm” can squish down to one-fifth of its original size, and the title of a burnt Herculaneum scroll has finally been identified after 2,000 years. Finally, we spoke to Liz Bonnin, presenter of […]
165-Million-Year-Old Fossil Is New Species Of Ancient Parasite. Did It Come From A Dinosaur’s Butt?
Say hello to Juracanthocephalus daohugouensis, a parasite that lived way back in the Jurassic, but one that’s been scrambling the brains of modern-day scientists. It’s an award-worthy fossil in many ways, being the oldest-known specimen of a thorny-headed worm and a new-to-science species, but perhaps most impressive of all is how it was found: on […]
It’s True: Time Really Does Move Slower When You’re Exercising
Physicists may say time is the universal constant, but the rest of us know the truth: time is about as far from “constant” as it’s possible to be. Eight hours of sleep can pass in a wink, for example. Spend an hour playing your favorite game, and you’ll be astonished when it’s over; ten minutes […]
Salmon Make Some Of The Most Epic Migrations In Nature. Why Do They Bother?
Salmon live absolutely wild lives. An unfortunate portion will end up in the jaws of a bear or sliced up in a sushi restaurant, but many will spend their existence embarking on one of the most ambitious animal migrations in the natural world. This is because they are anadromous. Anadromous fish are those that migrate […]
The Catholic Apostolic Church In Albury Has Been Sealed “Until The Second Coming”
In Albury, Surrey, England, there is a church that you are not allowed to enter. Not yet, anyway. Built in 1839, the church is not due to be reopened until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The church was commissioned by Henry Drummond, a biologist, member of parliament, and evangelist of the Catholic Apostolic Church. […]
The Voynich Manuscript Appears To Follow Zipf’s Law. Could It Be A Real Language?
In terms of ancient, indecipherable books, no manuscript matches the sheer mystery of the Voynich manuscript. This ancient text, filled with strange and fantastical illustrations of unidentified plants and odd astrological symbols, has defied explanation for centuries. But it has also always defied translation from anybody who has attempted to decode it. “Research on the […]
