Deborah Bloomfield

A “copy” of Magna Carta bought for under $30 has been found to be a genuine surviving artifact from 1300 CE by British historians who happened upon it. In 1946, the Harvard Law School Library spent $27.50 (around $440 in today’s money) on a document known as “HLS MS 172”. According to the auction catalogue […]

It is undoubtedly true in conservation circles that things that are cute and fluffy get the most attention. After all, who can resist something as adorable as Madame Berthe’s mouse lemur? The slimier inhabitants of Earth typically have to do something a little more interesting than just looking cute to get headlines. Enter Powelliphanta augusta, […]

In the days before television (anyone remember that?) and TikTok, being a radio announcer was one of the most sought-after jobs in the analog world. But landing the role wasn’t easy. Applicants had to prove they had the voice, clarity, and command of language to carry a broadcast. One of the ways stations tested them […]

In his first Congressional hearing since his confirmation, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has avoided sharing his beliefs and defended deep cuts to health institutes. Specifically, Democrat members have been pushing for answers on the impact of the Trump budget on health as well as what Kennedy really believes in terms […]

A tiger at Melbourne Zoo has received three root canals on damaged teeth in a dental procedure that started challenging and ended up extravagant. Fortunately, Hutan, the tiger in question, has awoken no worse for wear, and the vet and keeper have all their limbs intact. Teeth are important for most of the animals that […]

Pencils; we’ve all held them. At some point in your life, you may have wondered why they come in the shapes and sizes that they do, and in particular why they are hexagonal. There are a few reasons why most pencils ended up with a hexagonal shape to them, though they weren’t like that to […]

There are some people who look down into the bowl of their toilet and just think, “Wow, this stuff is magical, I must immediately drink it to receive all the remedies to my ailments”. This odd practice is called Urophagia or Urine therapy.  Urine therapy has made the headlines, with some celebrities like Ke$ha, supposedly […]

Since the first observation of the far side of the Moon in the 60s, it has been clear that there are major differences between the side of the Moon that we always see and the one that is always pointing away from us. The newest analysis has revealed that this difference is not skin-deep, but […]

Some 506 million years ago, a three-eyed predator hunted in Earth’s oceans. Described by its discoverers as a “sea moth”, the new-to-science species was a kind of radiodont, one that had a feature not seen in any other member of this group. It was discovered by palaeontologists at the Manitoba Museum and Royal Ontario Museum […]

Scientists have discovered that a common type of bacteria that causes infections in hospitals can break down biodegradable plastics that are often used in medical devices and packaging. The bacterium in question, known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is a gram-negative (a classification based on the color the bacterium turns after it has undergone a Gram staining test), […]

Astronomers have reported an incredible new observation: Mars not only has the bizarre proton aurorae that have been detected from orbit, it also has green aurorae like those here on Earth, generated by charged solar wind particles hitting the very scarce oxygen atoms in the thin Martian atmosphere. This is not only the first detection […]

Poison dart frogs are some of nature’s most colorful amphibians, with their classic coloration serving as a warning to those that might want to gobble a few frog-based snacks. Recently, new species in the Ranitomeya genus have been surveyed, leading to a new species with copper colored limbs and a blue striped body. Now, another […]

Homo naledi – the extinct human species of Netflix fame – had hands that were partially adapted to climbing and partly designed for crafting, new research has revealed. This finding helps to fill in a gap in our understanding of human hand evolution, suggesting that the manual hardware required for tool-making and other fiddly tasks […]

The strongest solar flare of 2025 so far has been unleashed by the Sun, causing radio blackouts over southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The Sun had quite an active year in 2024, sending plenty of solar storms our way as we headed to the peak of the Solar Cycle. But our star is […]

A troop of chimpanzees have been observed treating each other’s wounds and injuries, demonstrating both an understanding of the healing power of certain plants and care for others, irrespective of genetic relationship. Chimpanzees heal a lot faster than humans, but they still sometimes need help. Last year, it was observed that our closest living relatives […]

Tracks found in early Carboniferous-period rocks in southeast Australia appear to be from an amniote, most likely a reptile. If so, these beat the previous oldest evidence for amniotes by more than 30 million years, and will rewrite the timing on when the clade that includes mammals first evolved.  The first vertebrates to leave the […]

Vegetarians who reject meat do so for various reasons, but some do so because meat generates a feeling of disgust that matches the aversion to things like eating human flesh, feces, or dog meat. Have you ever noticed that the world is filled with various potentially ingestible things, and yet our diets are remarkably limited […]

A group of independent researchers from the US is rallying around a curiously ship-shaped ridge on a Turkish mountain – and they’re pretty confident they will eventually unearth the shipwreck of Noah’s Ark. It’s a fascinating project, but these bold claims of biblical archaeology should be taken with a pinch of Dead Sea salt. The […]

A US congressman has shown off a little history and caused a little concern on the Internet, after filming a hidden passageway in the United States Capitol building. Republican congressman Tim Moore shared a video of the secret passageway hidden beneath the carpet of the Lincoln Room. “This is one of the neat things about […]

Tomato sauce, coffee, engine oil – hands up if you’ve ever had a piece of clothing ruined by a tricky stain like one of these. It may not always work, but knowing how best to tackle specific stains at least gives you a chance of saving your favorite tee from a new life as a […]