Deborah Bloomfield

The image of M87*, the supermassive black hole at the center of massive elliptical galaxy M87, changed the world. It was the first-ever direct image of a black hole, showing the gargantuan object’s shadow and the light present at the edge of it. The observations were taken in 2017 by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) […]

For the first time, scientists have created a bi-paternal mouse – that is, a mouse with two male parents – which survived until adulthood. The breakthrough represents a huge step forward in the field and has the potential to impact many areas of science, from regenerative medicine to conservation, while furthering our understanding of mammalian […]

Ever asked someone a question with the sole intention that they ask you the same question back? Turns out there’s a name for that: “boomerasking”. A new study has explored exactly what this often-irritating conversational habit is, as well as why people do it and the consequences that it has. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE The […]

Long-term heavy cannabis use could have a detrimental effect on an aspect of cognition called working memory, according to the results of a massive new brain imaging study. Even when not stoned, heavy users displayed reduced activity in key brain regions when performing a series of cognitive tasks, resulting in poorer test scores. ADVERTISEMENT GO […]

Nature is capable of some pretty incredible phenomena and even a few mysteries. That’s become all the more apparent recently at Shreveport Aquarium in Louisiana, where the team is celebrating the hatching of an egg that seems to have only one parent. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Last year, a swell shark egg was discovered by […]

A first-of-its-kind study has found that in US communities where drinking water is contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), there’s also an increased incidence of some cancers, with the so-called “forever chemicals” potentially contributing to over 6,800 cancer cases in the country each year. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE PFAS appear to be everywhere: in […]

The surface waters of the oceans are getting warmer at a rate of 0.27°C (0.50°F) a decade, new research shows. This compares with just 0.06°C (0.11°F) in the late 1980s, when we first noticed there was a problem. Although people are more directly affected by temperature rises on land, higher ocean temperatures drive bigger storms […]

In a delightfully nerdy move, a group of scientists having a games night and eating pasta have published a paper on the physics of how their food was cooked. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE The group of scientists, from the University of Twente in the Netherlands and the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment […]

Pseudocraters or rootless cones are peculiar volcanic formations with an explosive origin. They do not form from magma coming from deep underground. They are caused by lava covering a water-rich layer, which causes the explosive reaction. To fully understand the mechanism of their formation, scientists have devised an experiment with simple cooking ingredients not too […]

A new preprint study has taken a closer look at the “universe-breaking” Little Red Dot galaxies discovered in the early universe, potentially compounding the mystery surrounding them. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE JWST has allowed astronomers to look back further into the past than any other infrared or optical telescope, seeing infrared light that was emitted […]

Search giant Google has announced that two locations on Google Maps will soon look different for users in the USA after President Donald Trump ordered they be officially renamed. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE During Trump’s inauguration, he announced his intention to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. “America will reclaim its […]

Tuberculosis (TB) is often thought of as a disease of the past, or one that is confined only to certain countries – but a recent outbreak in Kansas is proving that is far from the case. According to local health officials, it’s the largest documented TB outbreak in US history. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Data […]

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has announced that the Doomsday Clock has been moved forward to 89 seconds to midnight. This is the closest to “Doomsday” it’s ever been. The clock is a symbolic portrayal of the state of the world, with midnight representing the annihilation of our species. And we are closer to […]

An asteroid discovered in 2024 has been placed at level 3 on the Torino impact scale, with a small chance of impact with Earth in 2032. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Asteroid 2024 YR4 was first discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on December 25 last year. In what could be considered “not the best Christmas […]

A suspected planet that appears well-suited to life has had its existence confirmed – and it’s very much in our neighborhood, galactically speaking. Unfortunately, the planet HD 20794 d does not transit from our perspective, cutting off our primary method for checking the atmosphere of planets like this, but advances in telescopes will soon make […]

Look at the image above. Looks like you’re falling into it, doesn’t it? Like the darkness is approaching, threatening to overtake you if you stare too long. Why is that? ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE A new study has an explanation – and it all comes down to how the individual cells in our eyes interact […]

More than 20 years after the death of Concorde, a new contender is set to attempt supersonic speeds in its first test flight later today. Even better, you can watch the action live through a streamed video. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE Boom’s XB-1 test vehicle is scheduled to start its historic first supersonic test flight […]

Butt toy stuck up the arse, cock ring locked into place on the penis, vibrators lost in deep dark holes. Every year, many Americans scramble to the nearest Emergency Room to get help following some unfortunate bedroom antics. We took a look at the data that is submitted every year to determine what is happening […]

Newly discovered microbes living in the peatlands of the Peruvian Amazon could play a dual role in the carbon cycle. These tiny organisms have the potential to either stabilize carbon for storage or release it into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases. ADVERTISEMENT GO AD FREE The archaea were found in the Pastaza-Marañón Foreland Basin, a […]

Diamonds are forever and they are a girl’s best friend. They are also among a class of materials known as ultrawide-bandgap semiconductors. These are seen as a key component of next-generation electronics as they can handle higher voltages, operate at higher frequencies, and are more efficient than traditional silicon designs. One issue, however, is that […]