COVID-19 may not meet the criteria for a seasonal infection – at least not yet – but that doesn’t mean there’s been no pattern to its peaks and troughs over the last few years. In a first detailed analysis, public health experts have revealed that the US has been seeing six-month waves of COVID that […]
What Are Antibubbles, The Evil Twin Of Regular Bubbles?
Bubbles. Whether in a jacuzzi or being blown into your eyeballs by a child, you’ve got to love them. And behind the general aesthetics, they’re pretty interesting physically. Advertisement For a time, they were even used to model atomic behavior, with “bubble rafts” on a water surface creating a surprisingly good analog of the structure […]
Can You Keep Dead Animals You Find? Here’s What The Rules Say
Picture the scene: you’re out walking when an almighty smell catches your attention. A whale has died and washed ashore. Do you: Cut its head off, I’m not one to turn down a knick-knack Leave it be, nature’s best left well alone Consult the internet: am I allowed to keep dead animals? It’s an interesting […]
The Paradox Of Modern Friendships
How often do you see your friends? Do you find yourself trying to make plans, spending time synchronizing your calendars just to scratch together a few hours a week? Do you feel more isolated from the people you used to spend so much time with? If so, then you are not alone (ironically) – the […]
Why A Philosopher Is Worried About People Believing Aliens Have Visited Earth
We need to take the popular belief in alien visitations seriously, one researcher has argued – not because it could be true, but rather because that credence can be very harmful. Advertisement The beliefs that extraterrestrial spacecraft buzz in our skies, and that past visitors provided ancient civilizations with much of their technologies, have attracted […]
Spell Your Name With USGS And NASA’s Glorious Satellite Imagery
Here at IFLScience we enjoy a little interactive internet quiz or poll just as much as the next person, from finding out if we see the same color blue as each other to testing the Earworm Eraser after one too many TikToks. Now, the Landsat series of satellites is getting in on the action with […]
Cats Wearing Adorable Crochet Hats Teach Researchers About Chronic Pain
When it comes to cats and science we just can’t get enough and now researchers have made tiny crochet hats for them in a bid to understand more about their brain activity and how it relates to chronic pain. Advertisement Over 25 percent of adult cats have chronic pain associated with radiographic osteoarthritis and the […]
New Parasitic Wasp Species Is The First Known To Lay Eggs In Adult Flies
A new species of wasp has been discovered parasitizing adult fruit flies – the first of its kind ever documented. Parasitoid wasps’ life cycles can get pretty gruesome (at least from the perspective of their host), with species that use the bodies of other insects as a cozy home for their eggs often eating or […]
Hay Fever Helped To Wipe Out Mammoths In Post Ice Age Ecosystem, Study Claims
Next time you’re sniffing and itching from a bout of hay fever, spare a thought for the doomed mammoth whose infamous extinction may have been linked to the rise of pollen and bunged-up trunks. Advertisement New research has made the bold claim that hay fever may have been a factor in the untimely demise of […]
First Ever Map Of Human Brain During Pregnancy Reveals Major Structural Changes
For the first time, scientists have observed the changes that occur in an expectant mother’s brain during pregnancy, revealing significant restructuring of numerous cortical areas. According to the researchers, these long-lasting alterations may serve to fine-tune the maternal brain in order to promote parental behaviors and prepare women for motherhood. Advertisement During pregnancy, the production […]
The “Third State” That Lies Beyond The Boundaries Of Life And Death
You might think that the line between life and death is clear-cut, but a growing body of research hinting at a “third state” that toes the line between the two suggests this may not be the case. Advertisement The so-called third state – where the cells of a dead organism continue to function after the […]
New Species Of “Rather Unhappy” Fish Named Grumpy Dwarfgoby, And It’s Livid
A new species of fish has been described from the Red Sea, much to its misery. At less than 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) long, it’s managed to pack enough fury into its tiny face to earn the common name grumpy dwarfgoby, and I’m in love. Scientists first spotted the new-to-science species while diving in the Farasan […]
Extreme Weather Increases Could Impact 70 Percent Of World’s Population In Next 20 Years
Nearly three-quarters of the global population will experience significant and rapid changes in temperatures and rainfall in the next 20 years, according to a new analysis – a stark warning for many people living across the world. The only way to avoid this is to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions. Advertisement The subject of climate […]
Golden Lettuce: New Fortified Food Is Packed With 30 Times More Provitamin A
Lettuce has a reputation for being just crunchy water, but it’s actually an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Scientists have recently found a way to add to the leafy vegetable’s nutritional profile by allowing it to brim with beta-carotene, a powerful pigment that’s converted into vitamin A in the human body. Advertisement Ultimately, the […]
466 Million Years Ago, Earth Potentially Had A Ring System That Impacted Its Climate
New research challenges what we know of our planet’s ancient past, suggesting that a ring formed around the Earth around 466 million years ago. Not only could this hypothesis explain an unusually high period of impacts captured in the geological record, but it may have also influenced the planet’s climate. Advertisement The Earth has a […]
A Black Hole Is Starving Its Galaxy To Death, But Not How You Think
A galaxy seen by the JWST has confirmed the suspicion that some supermassive black holes can kill their home galaxy. The galaxy in question is around the mass of the Milky Way, but is set on a very different path. You might expect such an inside job murder to occur by the black hole consuming […]
Physicists Turn Light Into A One-Dimensional Gas With Incredibly Strange Properties
A team of physicists have created a one-dimensional gas out of light, studying the strange properties of this strange state of matter. Advertisement When you cool certain particles to near absolute zero, some pretty interesting things can start to happen. In particular, something called “Bose Einstein Condensate” (BEC) can form, a state of matter first […]
At Least 123 Members Of US Congress Are Climate Change Deniers
At least 123 current members of Congress – 23 percent of 535 total members – deny or doubt the existence of human-caused climate change, according to a new report. If you want to understand this trend, it might be worth chasing the money: politicians who go against the scientific consensus on climate change have gained […]
Yellow-Eyed Penguin That Nests In The Forest Wins New Zealand’s Bird Of The Year
New Zealand’s world-famous Bird Of The Year competition has announced its winner for 2024 – and yes, this time it is a bird. The hoiho yellow-eyed penguin has won Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau Bird of the Year, in what they describe as “a peng-win for the penguin.” The hoiho yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) […]
Physicists Finally Created The Long-Awaited Electromagnetic Vortex Cannon
Vortex rings are pretty cool, and electromagnetism even cooler. Now, a team of physicists have found a way to combine the two phenomena, creating the electromagnetic vortex cannon. Advertisement In fluids (which includes gases) vortex rings can be created thanks to frictional forces as a jet moves through the fluid at higher velocities than the […]
