New research shows that the Cambrian explosion, one of the most important interludes in the story of life on Earth, may have been triggered by a small increase in oxygen levels. Using datasets from an international consortium of scientists, the team show that modest changes in oxygen levels may have been enough to cause the […]
This Is What Neanderthal And Denisovan Faces Looked Like
Your face is the result of thousands of years of lovemaking between multiple human species, with Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo sapiens being the main players in this ancient three-way romance. Because of a lack of physical evidence, however, we don’t really know how the features we’ve inherited compare to those of our extinct lovers – […]
Neutron Star Spotted Shooting A Jet Like A Garden Sprinkler For First Time
Astronomers have spotted a neutron star whose jet is changing direction for the first time. Likened to a garden sprinkler, the jet is coming from the phenomenal object Circinus X-1, one of the brightest and best-studied objects in the X-ray sky. However, it turns out that there is a lot more to discover about this […]
The First Cave Has Been Found On The Moon – Is It Ready For Occupation?
A tunnel has been identified under the surface of the Moon for the first time, appropriately on the Sea of Tranquility where humans first set foot. Although this particular spot is not a likely place to build a future colony, where there is one cave there are likely to be more, boosting the prospects for […]
JWST Celebrates 2 Years Of Fantastic Science With New Merging Penguin Galaxy Portrait
It has been two years since the JWST revealed its first science images and since then, the telescope has contributed massively to furthering our understanding of the universe near and far. From discovering new features in the atmosphere of Jupiter to spotting the most distant galaxies yet, JWST deserves its accolades. To mark its second […]
With COVID Spreading, Could You Spot These Lesser-Known Symptoms?
We don’t like saying it any more than you like hearing it, but COVID-19 has not gone away. Many of us know people who’ve recently gone down with coughs and sneezes, and you may even have asked yourself that timeless question: do I have hay fever or COVID? But what about symptoms that don’t mimic […]
World’s Rarest Whale Washes Up On New Zealand Beach
A spade-toothed whale, the world’s rarest whale species, has been found washed ashore on a beach in Otago, New Zealand, one of only six specimens to have ever been documented. Advertisement While marine mammal strandings are relatively common in New Zealand – there are around 85 per year – when experts from the Department of […]
Pseudoscience Vs Anti-Science: How To Tell The Difference And Fight Both
The internet was meant to be an “information superhighway” – a place where all human knowledge could be available, allowing humanity to find the truth of any situation at the touch of a button. Advertisement Instead, it’s a place where anti-vaxxers tout deworming tablets for viruses and people pretend that birds aren’t real. It’s a wild […]
High School Student Makes Model Rocket That Can Land Vertically, Like A Falcon 9 Booster
A high school student has completed an ambitious project after three years of work: creating a model rocket that lands vertically. Advertisement Landing a rocket vertically is a pretty difficult task, being literal rocket science. Just ask SpaceX, who have blown up many a rocket stage in their attempts to land rocket boosters, though sometimes […]
Almost Every El Niño Will Be Extreme In The Future, Climate Model Suggests
El Niño, at its worst, can be devastating. It’s the climate phenomenon that sees the Pacific jet stream moved southwards by reduced equatorial winds, causing everything from heatwaves in Canada, to droughts in Africa, to intense storms over the west coasts of the Americas. Advertisement Well, bad news: according to a new paper, those worst-case […]
The Atlantic Gulf Stream Was Unexpectedly Strong During The Last Ice Age – New Study
Twenty thousand years ago the world was locked into a great ice age. Ice sheets two miles thick covered much of North America, Scandinavia and the British Isles. Greenhouse gas concentrations were much lower, the world was 6°C colder, and because of all the water trapped in ice-sheets, the sea was at least 120 metres […]
Five People Drive Into A Hot Acidic Lake In Yellowstone Park
It wouldn’t be a day ending in “y” without a tourist having a mishap at Yellowstone National Park. Advertisement The latest snafu comes courtesy of five visitors who accidentally drove their SUV into the Semi-Centennial Geyser – a hot, acidic pond located near the park’s Roaring Mountain, between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction. The […]
The Elusive Saki Monkeys Are One Of The Best Things You’ve Never Seen
Have you heard of saki monkeys? It wouldn’t be surprising if you hadn’t – they’re incredibly elusive, and unless you live deep in the Amazon rainforest, you’re unlikely to see one even by accident. Advertisement But you really ought to know more about them. Not only are they fashion icons, they’re also incredible athletes and […]
Man Caught In China Smuggling Over 100 Live Snakes Inside His Pants
A man in China has been caught trying to smuggle more than 100 live snakes into the country inside his pants – bringing new meaning both to the term “trouser snake” and also the term “holy cow dude, seriously, why would you EVER DO that?” Advertisement The traveler was intercepted by customs agents in Futian […]
Signs Of COVID Virus In The Body Years After Original Infection
Once upon a time, COVID-19 was two weeks of coughing and an inability to smell your new candle. Then we discovered the existence of Long COVID – a vague conglomeration of more than 200 symptoms that can be debilitating months or even years after the original disease seems to have cleared up. Advertisement Now, four […]
How Long-Haul Flights Affect The Body – And What To Do About It
You’ve got your shiny new luggage, battled your way through the airport, and now you’re only one step away from that much-needed vacation. Just 14 hours on a plane and you’ll be there. But what happens to your body spending all that time up in the air? Advertisement Feeling Dry Why it happens Ever feel […]
People Are Only Just Learning What QR Code Stands For
QR codes enjoyed an unlikely resurgence during the COVID-19 pandemic as a “touchless” system to relay information. Even today, the legacy of lockdowns still lingers in some restaurants and bars that ask patrons to scan a QR code to look at a menu (much to their dismay). However, not many people know the surprisingly long […]
Ariane 6 Finally Takes Flight, Cancer Patient Gets Total Larynx Transplant To Restore His Voice In World First, And Much More This Week
This week, 52,000-year-old “freeze-dried” mammoth skin delivers the first-ever set of 3D chromosomes, lion brothers swim a record-breaking distance across predator-filled waters, the first sighting of incredible “polar rain” from Earth finally has an explanation. Finally, we explore the world’s most endangered language, N|uu. Advertisement Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter for all the biggest science […]
Head-On Aurora-Causing Solar Storms Are The Ones We Really Need To Worry About
The risk of a solar storm destroying power networks and submarine cables – and potentially even bringing down civilization – depends on the angle at which it hits the Earth’s magnetic field and the local time of night. Unsurprisingly, the strength of the incoming shock is also important, but new research emphasizes the influence of […]
4,000-Year-Old Giant Monolith Found Near Brutally Murdered Woman’s Ancient Remains In Cyprus
Across the island of Cyprus, archaeologists have discovered the ancient remains of young women who appear to have been murdered before being sealed inside buildings, as if to separate them from both the living and the dead. The latest discovered victim of this grisly practice was recently unearthed at the Bronze-Age site of Erimi, where […]
