With the Paris 2024 Olympics in full swing, people have a number of questions about sports you only really see every four years or so. Advertisement While fencing has people asking why on Earth the competitors are attached to metal cables, people have been sharing old footage of an unusual boat race. While the racers […]
Japan Kills First Protected Fin Whale After Controversial New Quota
Japan has confirmed it has killed its first fin whale in over a decade. A male fin whale, measuring 19.6 meters (64 feet) long and weighing 55 tonnes, was recently caught off the coast of Iwate Prefecture by the whaling company Kyodo Senpaku, according to OceanCare. Advertisement The catch comes after a controversial decision in […]
Giant Structures Found Underneath Antarctic Ice By Now-Missing Underwater Drone
The world’s climate is in crisis, and it is important to monitor potential tipping points: critical thresholds that, when breached, can lead to snowballing and potentially irreversible changes. As part of an attempt to understand how the ocean melts Antarctica’s ice shelves, researchers sent a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) called Ran underneath the Dotson ice […]
Do Dead Bodies Sink Or Float?
The infamous case of Melissa Caddick highlighted the complexity of marine forensics, and how hard it is to piece together the sequence of events that led to human remains winding up in water. The grim discovery of a foot in a shoe indicated her body may have been submerged at depth before it broke loose […]
This Volcano Spews Out Black Watery Lava, The Weirdest Magma On Earth
When you think of a volcanic eruption, you probably imagine a glowing red parade of thick lava marching down the slopes of a fiery mountain. Yet that’s not the case at Ol Doinyo Lengai, the only volcano on Earth that spews black, watery lava that behaves in ways that scientists still don’t fully understand. Advertisement […]
What Is A K-Type Star? And Why Do They Matter?
K-type stars are the overlooked siblings of the stellar world, but they could offer the best chances to find life, so here’s a little about them. Advertisement How Are Stars Categorized? Ancient astronomers noticed that not all stars are the same color. It even influenced what they called some – Antares‘ name is a reference […]
Why Does ‘X’ Mean ‘Kiss’?
Despite being associated with a famous wrestler, a Vin Diesel movie and hardcore pornography, the sign-off ‘xxx’ at the end of a message is ubiquitously and unambiguously used to symbolize a wholesome trio of kisses. In Spanish, however, the letter X is shorthand for ‘por’, meaning ‘for’ or ‘by’, so the link between this versatile […]
Why Do Doctors In The US Wear White Coats?
Everyone knows the bottom half of a doctor is meaningless. They can be naked from the waist down, but if they’ve got a white coat and a stethoscope draped around their neck, you’d probably trust them to operate on you. (Joke intended) Advertisement It’s almost as if wearing a snowy overcoat gives a person medical […]
Pompeii’s Suburban Bath Frescoes Reveal Insights Into Roman Sexuality
Ancient Romans had ideas about sex and sexuality that were very different from ours today, and many representations of these attitudes have been preserved on the walls of buildings at Pompeii. In particular, the Suburban Baths have images that really show off the Roman’s sexual exploits in their many forms. Advertisement The bath house beyond […]
World’s Most Durable And Efficient Solar Cell Smashes Existing Records
Researchers have developed a method to enhance the lifespan and working efficiency of perovskite solar cells, achieving record outputs following grueling, long-term tests. With a superb power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.1 percent after more than 1,500 hours of use, the high-performing cells created during the study may open the door to more widespread use of […]
Alert: Geomagnetic Storm Could Bring Northern Lights As Far South As New York Tonight
The gnarly solar weather that brought spectacular aurorae to the US and Canada earlier this week looks set to continue, with a coronal mass ejection (CME) expected to hit Earth at some point today (August 3rd). In anticipation of the event, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) has issued a moderate geomagnetic storm warning, stating […]
Sunscreen Vs. Sunblock: What’s The Difference?
Keeping your skin protected whilst out in the sun is one of the most important things you can do for your health – there’s no such thing as a safe sun tan after all. Trouble is, things can get a little confusing when it comes to knowing what product to use. Some people will tell […]
Awesome Fossils Of New 69-Million-Year-Old Tyrannosaur Species, COVID-19 Vaccine Nasal Drops Could Stop Viral Transmission, And Much More This Week
This week, ancient stars have been found in an unlikely region of the Milky Way, a wonky-necked giraffe has been spotted in South Africa, and rock art provides evidence that South America’s early humans were in contact with diverse local wildlife. Finally, we question if cortisol, the “stress hormone”, is really the health villain it’s […]
The Surprising History Of The Olympic Torch Relay
On Friday, July 26, the Olympic torch arrived in Paris and was used to ceremoniously light the Olympic Cauldron, which will continue to illuminate the skies throughout the Olympic Games. It’s quite the spectacle, but its origins have some unexpected twists. Advertisement According to The Olympic Museum, “The Olympic Torch Relay is now a powerful […]
Wonky Giraffe, Hamster Vaccines, And Wildlife Rock Art
This week on Break It Down: a wonky-necked giraffe is somehow still alive, an extraordinary fossil find shows a tyrannosaur with a stubby snout, a vaccine to stop COVID transmission is a success (at least, in hamsters), ancient stars are not where we expect them to be, 12,500-year-old rock art is a wildlife masterpiece, and […]
Blue Fugates: Why Did A Family In Kentucky Have Blue Skin?
In the 1820s there lived a couple in Kentucky whose family would become known as the Blue Fugates. Why? Because they carried a rare genetic condition that gave several members of the family blue skin. Advertisement Yes, really. What caused the Blue Fugates’ blue skin? The highly unusual condition is known as methemoglobinemia. It’s characterized […]
What Is The Longest Bridge In The US?
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. It stretches for 38 kilometers (24 miles) and is supported by around 9,500 concrete pilings. Advertisement The southbound portion of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, which had two lanes, was first opened on August 30, 1956, while the northbound bridge was completed […]
What Are Those Dark Circles On Swimmers’ Backs At The Olympics?
If, like us, you’ve been glued to the Olympics coverage, then you can’t have helped but notice a series of dark bruised circles on the backs of some of the medal hopefuls as they line up for the pool – but what are they? And do they offer any extra competitive or health benefit? We […]
Smooth-Hound Shark Proves It Can Reproduce Solo – No Male Required
The smooth-hound shark (Mustelus mustelus) just proved that it can reproduce without sperm, producing multiple offspring with identical genes. It’s the first time recurrent parthenogenesis has been reported for the species, and broadens our knowledge of all the ways that exist in nature to cook up a baby solo. Advertisement Parthenogenesis is sometimes referred to as […]
How Do “Jesus Birds” Appear To Walk On Water?
The animal world is full of what appear to be miracles: a Brazilian boa giving birth without being near another snake; fish that rain down from the sky; and who could forget the ferret that somehow survived a 100-minute cycle in a washing machine? There’s one group of birds, however, that likes to go for […]
