How do traumatic events affect our bodies? A new study set out to investigate by looking at three key areas: the autonomic nervous system, inflammatory immune system, and endocrine system. It found changes to these key biological systems that remain detectable even when the person reports good psychological wellbeing. It seems the body remembers trauma […]
Scientists May Finally Have Answered Why The Most Important Meteorites Are So Rare
The type of meteorites that could have been crucial to the origins of life are very rare, but the asteroids they come from are common. Astronomers have long had an explanation for this paradox, but couldn’t prove it. New research shows that explanation is only half the answer, with exposure to the Sun providing the […]
“All Theories Have Limitations!”: What Lies Beyond The Standard Model Of Particle Physics?
The Standard Model Of Particle Physics is one of the most revolutionary theories humans have ever created. From the behavior of fundamental particles to electromagnetism, the field that gives everything mass to nuclear decay, the Standard Model has got you covered. But we know that there’s a fair bit of reality beyond it, and scientists […]
In The Near-Zero Depths Of Antarctica, Strange Squids Have Been Caught On Film
Over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) beneath the near-frozen water of the Antarctic Peninsula, a collection of squids – each one stranger than the last – have been captured on camera in stunning detail. The dazzling footage was captured during an expedition by Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre and Inkfish between December 2024 and January 2025. At […]
How Did Cavemen Shave Their Beards, Anyway?
Throughout history, people have always striven to look their best. For our parents, that meant questionable choices in Lycra and neon; for our medieval ancestors, it looked more like topping your head with a gigantic horned hat or showing off a manly set of calves and ass-cheeks in your very tightest tights. For Neo- and […]
Watch Live As Katy Perry Finally Gets Blasted Into Space With All-Female Crew
American singer and songwriter Katy Perry is getting blasted into space today, part of an all-female mission run by private space firm Blue Origin. The 40-year-old singer of such hits as I Kissed a Girl and Roar will head 100 kilometers (60 miles) above the Earth today from a launchpad in Western Texas at around 9:30 […]
If You Have This Weird Line On Your Earlobe, What Does It Mean?
Have you ever noticed a strange crease or fold in your earlobes or those of people you know? It looks like a diagonal line that extends backwards and diagonally across the earlobe from the tragus (the fleshy bump in front of your ears’ opening) to its edge. This fold, known as Frank’s sign, has a […]
First Intersex Southern Right Whale Found In Crossbow Skin Sample, Dire Wolf “De-Extinction” Facilitates Non-Invasive Cloning Of Endangered Wolf, And Much More This Week
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 […]
