Deborah Bloomfield

A decade ago, California became the first US state to ban single-use plastic bags. It proved to be a massive failure. Hoping to rectify the problem, the Golden State is doubling down with a new, even bigger plastic bag law.  Advertisement The initial 2014 ban prohibited grocery stores from distributing free single-use plastic bags for […]

For the first time, a ruby has been grown in situ by planting a “ruby seed” in a platinum ring. The novel approach could transform the jewelry industry as it demonstrates that, theoretically, we no longer need to mine to get great gemstones. The ruby seed used to grow the stone in situ can be […]

We know that Mars was different in the past. Flowing water, abundant ice, and a denser atmosphere were the main features of the ancient Red Planet. All of that is gone, but the evidence remains. Planetary scientists have conducted an in-depth analysis of the various terrains present on Mars and found fossilized evidence of the […]

Everywhere the President of the United States goes, they are accompanied by an aide carrying what’s known as the nuclear football. Unlike your regular pigskin, however, this holds the fate of the world within. Advertisement Also known as the Presidential Emergency Sachet, the football is actually a black briefcase containing several items that must be […]

Whales have been up to all sorts this year, from joining the list of animals demonstrating tool use and accidentally almost scooping up seals to slapping people in the face. It seems that their antics have not slowed down, as researchers look into them doing acrobatic headstands. Advertisement Gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) off the coast […]

NASA has captured radar images of a newly discovered, potentially hazardous asteroid as it tumbled towards its closest approach with the Earth. Advertisement On July 27, the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) on Mauna Loa in Hawai’i spotted a relatively large asteroid heading for a close approach with our planet. NASA keeps a […]

Minerals formed from iron-rich magma contain concentrations of so-called rare earth elements. Identifying deposits formed from this magma around extinct volcanoes could be the path to ensuring these elements are widely available, and heading off potential global conflicts and shortages. Advertisement The elements from lanthanum to lutetium on the periodic table, plus scandium and yttrium […]

It took more than 13 years and it has more than 500 terabytes of data, but the most detailed infrared map of our galaxy has now been completed. The project was the largest ever conducted by the European Southern Observatory, featuring over 200,000 images snapped by VISTA – the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for […]

We all (hopefully) know it’s not a good idea to go near crocodiles, scorpions, venomous snakes, and the like, but perhaps it’s time we started adding some feathered friends to that list. Swooping magpies are certainly a contender and we’ve even been to war with emus – but which is the most dangerous bird of […]

Sharks are sometimes referred to as “swimming noses” in honor of their spectacular olfaction. Yet with no air under the ocean to carry scent particles, the super smellers rely on some ingenious apparatus to help them pick up the stench of their prey from vast distances away. How Sharks Smell Like us, sharks have two […]

Now more than ever, we are aware of the damage being done to Earth’s habits due to human activities. While some of these are on a large scale with the implications of deforestation and the climate crisis, even small, local-level impacts can have a devastating effect on the species that live there. However, the unlikely […]

With giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) a beloved, but vulnerable species, scientists have long been searching for innovative ways to ensure their survival. Now, a multi-institution team may well have found one – they’ve successfully taken regular giant panda skin cells, and transformed them into stem cells. Advertisement Specifically, they’ve been able to make induced pluripotent […]

Billions of years ago, Mars had a thick atmosphere and water, but in both cases, just a tiny amount remains today. Both ended up escaping to space, with some of the water going underground. Now, researchers argue that some of the atmosphere, maybe up to four-fifths, is also trapped in rocks as the Red Planet […]

Around 20 years ago, a group of archaeologists made a curious discovery: something had been smeared on the heads and necks of several mummies in the Xiaohe cemetery in Northwestern China’s Tarim Basin. It was a whitish substance, and clearly very old, but nobody knew exactly what it was. Now, a new study has been […]

Which of Earth’s large land mammal predators is the most effective, prolific, and ferocious? It depends, of course, on what exactly you’re asking and how you’re defining these terms, but a new study was weeded through the nitty gritty to provide some answers. Advertisement Ecologists at Deakin University in Australia found that lone carnivores – […]

On September 22, the Jiangsu Deep Blue Aerospace Company conducted the first high-altitude test of their Nebula-1 rocket: a reusable and recyclable first-stage rocket body. The test was mostly successful – but once the rocket came back to Earth, it touched down a bit too strongly, leading to a complete explosion. “According to the ‘Nebula-1 […]

At the ripe estimated age of 123 years old, Henry is the oldest known crocodile in the world – and what a life he’s led. In the past few decades alone, the mature gentleman has fathered thousands upon thousands of offspring  Advertisement With all those decades under his belt, Henry has amassed a gigantic size. […]

The Solar System is not stuck in place. It moves around the Milky Way. Occasionally, it will cross regions of denser interstellar medium. The impact of these clouds of hydrogen and other materials on the Solar System and our planet is unclear, but it is possible that these encounters led to an ice age. Advertisement […]

The universe is expanding at an accelerated rate, however, the nature of this expansion – why it’s expanding and why it’s doing so at such an accelerated rate – is uncertain. One culprit has been dubbed “dark energy“, a hypothetical form of energy that could be seen as anti-gravity.  While what dark energy is precisely […]

An apparent weakening of one of the world’s most important ocean currents is probably a measurement error caused by a shift in the geomagnetic field, a new study proposes. If correct, it would mean we face less danger from one of the most alarming, but also most uncertain, consequences of global heating. Advertisement The Atlantic […]