Deborah Bloomfield

Human-induced changes to animal populations are never more apparent than in the case of the northern white rhino. Only two female individuals remain anywhere in the world after poaching, armed conflict, and political instability decimated the population. So how do we go about saving a species on the very brink of extinction? We spoke with […]

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is very common, infecting at least 95 percent of adult humans. Infection doesn’t always cause symptoms, but it can cause infectious mononucleosis (aka glandular fever) and is linked to various conditions including multiple sclerosis and certain cancers. There’s currently no vaccine against EBV infection – but a new study has now presented […]

NASA’s InSight might have stopped working after four intense years on Mars last December, but its data will keep scientists busy for a long time. The multifunction lander studied marsquakes and the internal properties of the Red Planet. Scientists were able to work out that the rotation rate of the planet is increasing by 4 […]

Evasive sneezes have got to be one of the most irritating afflictions, but for some of us, there can be a simple solution. In the case of photic sneezing, simply looking at a bright light can be enough to elicit a satisfying sneeze. The reason is due to pupil dilation, the nervous system, and a […]

Extinction is becoming a real threat faced by countless creatures across the animal kingdom. Famously, there are an estimated just 10 vaquitas remaining in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Now, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has issued the first-ever extinction alert in its 70-year history, to spur action to help the world’s tiniest and most […]

The dream appears to be over. After a few intense weeks of speculation and drama, more and more labs have been able to recreate LK-99, also known as modified lead-apatite. The material was touted as the first-ever room-temperature ambient pressure superconductor, a claim that was met with healthy skepticism and excitement. After all, extraordinary claims […]

Air pollution may make antibiotic resistance worse, according to the first detailed global analysis of the relationship between the problems. Disturbing as it is that two major killers could be reinforcing each other, it also means that we can tackle both at once, if only we can find the will. It’s a strange thing that […]

What happened to crop circles? There was a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s when you couldn’t stroll through a sci-fi field without encountering the odd patterns pressed into the crop. From The X-Files and M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs to alarmed media reports from rural spots in North America, the UK, Russia, Japan, and […]

Eris – a new COVID variant – is emerging in the UK amid a nationwide rise in cases and hospital admissions. First classified as a variant last month, Eris, or EG.5.1, is a subvariant of Omicron and has since been added to the World Health Organization’s “variants under monitoring” list. According to data from the […]

Amongst the remains of the Neanderthal inhabitants of a cave in France, researchers have uncovered a hip belonging to a modern human baby. However, after noticing differences between the ancient ilium and that of more recent neonates, the authors of a new study say the infant may represent a previously unknown early lineage of Homo […]

There’s a well-worn stereotype that women cry more often than men. It’s not a fantastically helpful stereotype, but it certainly is persistent. And, as it turns out, there could be a biological reason behind it: some research has suggested that higher levels of testosterone could inhibit crying. Crying as a response to strong emotions appears […]

Scientists have exploited the properties of a material to create an “extra dimension” that allows them to better control waves passing through it. Using the concept of synthetic dimension, scientists have developed a new metamaterial that can better control mechanical surface waves, with very interesting applications. As the name implies, these waves travel along the […]

Last December, for the first time, researchers had a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that put out more energy than needed to be started. It has been reported that the National Ignition Facility (NIF) team did it again in a second test on July 30, where they achieved an even higher energy output. The second experiment […]

It’s the topic of the moment. Whether you thought it meant something NSFW (naughty naughty) or whether you just find it maddening, there’s no escaping it: “phubbing” is a definite candidate for Word of the Year (according to the very unofficial IFLScience rankings). But, in case you’ve missed out, let’s take one last voyage of […]

Astronomers have observed a giant star system, probably composed of a pair of stars, that is far too bright for the distance over which we see it. According to a yet-to-be-published paper, the star is being gravitationally lensed by something massive between us and it. However, with no suitably placed galaxies to do the job, […]

The Sun goes through a cycle of activity of about 11 years, from being quiet during the solar minimum to a bustling period full of flares, plasma releases, and sunspots during the solar maximum. You might have noticed that there has been an uptick in news stories about solar storms and northern lights over the […]

Megalodon vs Mosasaurus, it’s a tough call. This hypothetical conflict takes place below the waves, where the currents of time merge to pit two of nature’s ancient aquatic titans against one another. While these giant prehistoric monstrosities both ruled different epochs in Earth’s history, the question of who would emerge victorious in a fight has […]

As much as we may love them, cats are major reservoirs of zoonotic infections, and their bites and scratches can pose a serious threat to our health. It’s a sad truth that one UK-based man found out the hard way after he was bitten by a stray cat and contracted an extensive soft tissue infection caused […]

The confusing world of fruits and vegetables is full of some surprising, and frankly delicious, specimens, from strawberries and tomatoes to asparagus. But which of these fruits could be classed as the world’s biggest? We take a look at some whoppers of the fruit world.  A new entrant To start us off, a new whopper […]