Deborah Bloomfield

A controversial 2020 study that claimed the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine showed promise for treating COVID-19 has been retracted, after sparking widespread criticism from scientists ever since its publication. The study was originally published online in the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents on March 20, 2020. With a small sample size of just 36 total participants, […]

Popular and sometimes controversial YouTuber James Stephen Donaldson, known on YouTube as “MrBeast”, has revealed he has rented out the Great Pyramids of Giza for an upcoming YouTube video. While you might think that the ancient wonders of the world cannot be hired out like a wedding venue, you are only partially correct. Though wedding […]

Atmospheric rivers – vast flowing streams of water vapor that flow high up in Earth’s atmosphere – appear to fuel sweaty heatwaves in summer, as well as unseasonable warm weather in the winter, according to a new study. The phenomenon of atmospheric rivers is closely associated with rainfall because they shift huge amounts of water […]

Astronomers have found a new type of stellar phenomenon: stars that for a few months might suddenly get up to 20 times as bright with a temperature of hundreds of thousands of degrees. These objects are being called millinovae and they have never been seen before. The international team found 29 of these events in […]

Considering its formalization in medieval Europe, chess has some unexpected quirks. The pieces are named for positions in the royal court, but the most powerful piece – and the most valuable – is not the king, but the queen. A knight and a bishop have equal value, just as in the UK House of Lords; […]

For the first time in 11 years, a complete mastodon jaw has been unearthed in the state of New York. What makes this discovery even more remarkable is that the prehistoric specimen turned up in someone’s backyard. The bizarre yet thrilling find was reported by a homeowner near Scotchtown in Orange County, who happened to […]

Tis the season to stuff your face with treats: sugar cookies sparkling like snowflakes, Christmas cake that could double as a doorstop, and drinks so sweet they’ll make your dentist wince. But behind every corner of the dessert table, someone might be desperately googling like their life depends on it, trying to figure out if […]

An ancient skeleton and a silver artifact are helping to rewrite the history of Christianity’s spread across Europe. The remains, dated between 230 and 270 CE, provide the earliest “authentic evidence” of Christianity north of the Alps in Europe discovered to date. The relics were found just outside the German city of Frankfurt at the […]

The forests of Maui have just become home to the world’s rarest crow for the first time. Five ‘alalā, also called the Hawaiian crow, were released after having been raised in captivity under the care of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance at Keauhou Bird Conservation Center in Volcano and Maui Bird Conservation Center in Makawao. […]

Pretty often at IFLScience Towers, we find ourselves faced with a conspiracy theory we’ve not seen before – and this week was no exception. “Can you believe,” one of our intrepid reporters asked the office, “that some people think online gambling sites don’t use random numbers?” Well, chalk it up to mathematical nit-pickery, but technically, […]

Christmas is less than a week away now, so you may be feeling the pressure to have everything ready for the big day. But sometimes something slips through the net, and you may not have all the gifts you need on time. If you feel bad about these (hopefully) occasional late exchanges, then you’ll be […]

We know that whale calves and mothers communicate with one another, but what are they trying to say? A new study has provided fresh insights into the vocalizations of young humpback whales, revealing what appears to be the first evidence for begging calls in baleen whales. The calf vocalizes and slowly moves into position beneath […]

Galaxy JADES GN-1001830 has something of an oddity at its center: a supermassive black hole that makes up almost half of the mass of the whole galaxy. This object must have undergone an intense period of feeding and growth to reach the incredible mass of 400 million suns – however, now it is quietly napping. […]

While looking out at a lake or ocean, you may well note there are “not a lot of fires there”. When was the last time you read about arson crime in the Pacific? Exactly.  But despite water’s ability to put out fire, it is possible – if you try hard enough – to light a […]

A renowned systems theorist has predicted that human civilization is on the brink of a “giant leap”. This leap could see us embracing “networked superabundance”, but it may yet be thwarted by the rise of nationalist populism. In a new study, investigative journalist and academic Nafeez Ahmed has argued that the world is facing unprecedented […]

Unfortunately marine animals often run into issues with boats, which either cause fatalities or have serious, often long-term consequences for the animal. Mystic Aquarium is home to Charlotte the green sea turtle, who has “bubble butt” syndrome, causing Charlotte’s behind to lift up out of the water as air is trapped in his shell. The […]

An unfortunate combination of the deer mating season and holiday festivities has seen Colorado officials put out a reminder to decorate with wildlife in mind, after receiving an uptick in calls about bucks getting stuck. The deer mating season – known as the rut – begins in the fall and typically continues through to late […]

Researchers investigating the nasal microbiota of people who have asthma and allergic rhinitis found they have different fungi in their noses when compared to others. This suggests new targeted ways to treat these irritating conditions. Allergic rhinitis is a common condition that usually involves sneezing, itching, a blocked and running nose, and inflammation of the […]

It’s an idea straight out of the schoolyard: that you might one day accidentally count so high that you break the laws of math. A new preprint (that has not yet been peer-reviewed) seems to have done just that, however – and it could have huge ramifications for how we ought to understand infinity. It’s […]

In 2023, a controversial study introduced a dramatic twist to the story of human history by suggesting that our species came to within a whisker of extinction almost a million years ago. Published in the prestigious journal Science, the research made headlines around the world, yet more recent examinations of the data suggest that our […]