Deborah Bloomfield

A new mRNA vaccine candidate for aggressive brain cancer has shown promise in a small clinical trial – but it was a clinical trial with a twist. As well as testing the vaccine in a handful of human cancer patients, the researchers are also leveraging results from 10 pet dogs. Advertisement It’s very typical for […]

When it comes to the question of which species of bear is the largest on the planet, the answer may seem obvious to some. The polar bear is clearly the winner of this competition if we are going by a species-to-species comparison, but the situation becomes less clear if we expand the category to include […]

Earth is currently experiencing one of its top three meteor showers in terms of activity. May is the month of the Eta Aquariids, leftover pieces from the passage of Halley’s comet. Earth gets as close to 9.7 million kilometers (6 million miles) from the comet’s orbit during this time, close enough to capture some stray […]

Scientists in Japan say they have successfully transplanted kidney tissue between rat fetuses while they were still in the uterus. The study is yet to be peer-reviewed, but the authors believe it represents the first step in a journey that could lead to future in-utero xenotransplantation in humans. The study was focused on a neonatal […]

Following news of bird flu outbreaks at dairy farms across the US, fragments of the virus have been found in samples of pasteurized milk. However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that viral particles are inactive and pose no threat to consumers.  Since late March, H5N1 bird flu has spread to at least […]

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has spotted what they are calling “signs of spiders from Mars”. The images, taken of the southern polar region of the Red Planet, show what look like giant spiders on the planet’s surface. They aren’t of course, but are features created in the ice as Martian […]

As we all know, astrology is not a real science. However, when you’re a squid the day you hatch is perhaps more important than you might think. New research has revealed that the day a male squid hatches is linked to which mating tactic he will use for the rest of his life.  Spear squid […]

To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, nothing’s certain in life except death, taxes, and TV characters thinking raw meat is the ultimate cure for a black eye. It’s not just the cartoon ones either – the steak-on-a-black-eye trope can be found in many a live-action movie and show. But… why? Where does this idea come from, and […]

For reasons that are unclear, a dolphin has been shot dead at a beach in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Law Enforcement is now on the hunt for the perpetrator and is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a criminal conviction. The juvenile […]

In a world first, two teams of scientists have independently created hybrid brain tissue with cells from two species: mice and rats. These two fuzzy rodents might look similar on the outside, but evolutionarily speaking they’re about 20 million years apart, so some sophisticated genetic engineering was needed to make this feat possible. The scientists […]

We currently live on Earth alongside the most massive animal that’s ever lived: the blue whale, a colossal marine mammal that can measure up to 33.5 meters (110 feet) and weigh more than 150,000 kilograms (330,000 pounds). However, when it comes to land-dwelling animals, much larger beasts have roamed compared to today’s giants. The largest […]

At the center of almost every galaxy, there is a supermassive black hole. Most of the enormous objects live a quiet existence – but they occasionally get active, with an accretion disc surrounding them and feeding them. Within that disc, much smaller black holes can interact, and even end up in traffic jams. New work […]

It’s easy to laugh at the alchemists of yesteryear, with their spotty understanding of science and dogged determination to discover nuclear transmutation five centuries before the discovery of the nucleus. But can we really blame them? After all, it’s only now, after 400 years of advancements in chemistry and physics, that we’ve finally solved the […]

NASA has released two new movies showcasing changing observations of two well-known sources in the sky: Cassiopeia A and the Crab Nebula. Both headliners are the leftovers of massive stars going supernova in our galaxy. The time-lapse videos condense 20 years of the Chandra X-ray telescope’s data into just 20 dramatic seconds. The explosion that […]

An abundance of microbial life has been found in Chile’s Atacama Desert, lurking up to 4 meters (13 feet) below the surface of one of the most arid and inhospitable places on the planet. The Atacama is the driest nonpolar desert – but not the driest place on Earth, that title belongs to somewhere you might […]

NASA’s Psyche mission is on its way to study a peculiar asteroid and during its cruise, the mission team has been testing a new communication system. The new approach doesn’t use radio waves but an infrared laser and it has now shown that it works successfully from the most distant place yet. Psyche was 226 […]

A former NASA engineer working on a propellant-less propulsion drive has claimed that the device can deliver enough thrust to achieve lift in Earth’s gravity, an effect which should not take place under our current understanding of physics. Dr Charles Buhler, who worked on a range of programs while at NASA, has since co-founded Exodus […]

There are many impressive things about birds. Some soar for miles without ever flapping their wings; some live for over half a century; and some are literal rainbows. But when you look at a bird gliding high up in the distance, have you ever wondered just how high they can go? The species that holds […]

A remarkable coincidence has seen a late Cretaceous mudflat preserve the footprints of two different types of raptors. More astonishingly still, one of these prints comes from a previously unknown species larger than any raptor we have previously found. Until we find the bones, there is a lot we can’t know about the creatures named […]

Propulsion is always a big deal when it comes to space missions. Every gram counts when going up into space, so the more energy-dense your fuel is the better. You also usually can’t refuel once you are out there. An alternative solution, which doesn’t have this problem, is using a solar sail. By taking advantage […]