Deborah Bloomfield

In an incredibly rare act of potential altruism, a male northern elephant seal has been observed saving a young pup from drowning. The unprecedented encounter, which has made a hero out of the pinniped lifeguard, could be the first recorded example of male altruism in the species. Northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) are the largest of […]

Over the last few months, NASA has been using its Psyche spacecraft to test a whole new communication system. The probe’s main mission is to visit an asteroid of the same name (16 Psyche) but on its journey there it has been sending laser messages back to Earth. NASA is testing Deep Space Optical Communications […]

In a matter of weeks, the region surrounding the town of Grindavik went from experiencing regular seismic activity to three volcanic eruptions, the latest one happening just yesterday. The town was evacuated last November as quakes grew in number and intensity. Scientists could tell that a massive magma dike was forming underground, and new analysis […]

This week, an error on a child’s poster how led to the Solar System’s first quasi-moon being named “Zoozve”, the Pacific Ocean plate appears to be tearing, and getting COVID-19 jabs in both arms may boost the immune response to the virus. Finally, we ask if and how foraging can benefit our health. Subscribe to […]

We’re currently in the grips of a strong El Niño that’s been stirring up all kinds of wild weather for the past few months. However, a big change is brewing – it’s looking increasingly likely that the climate cycle will transition over to a La Niña in the next six months, bringing a host of […]

Take a trip with me, if you will, down through Central and South America to the home of the giant anteater. These large and honestly quite ridiculous-looking animals are spread throughout this area, from Honduras down into Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. While their long snoots and funky appearance makes them popular, just what do […]

A hollowed-out bone containing hundreds of black henbane seeds has been discovered in a Roman settlement in the Netherlands, indicating that the poisonous plant was used intentionally by citizens of the ancient empire. Known for its maddening effects, the species is mentioned in classical sources as both a poison and a medicine, so it’s unclear […]

The Earth is spinning at around 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 kilometers per hour). So why do you, on Earth, not feel like you are hurtling along at these incredible velocities? When you get on a roundabout and it spins, you feel like you are being pushed outwards. This is the (not real) centrifugal force. […]

Data from more than 20,000 people has revealed an intriguing link between depression and body temperature – specifically, those with depression recorded slightly higher temperatures. Although there are more questions to be answered, the research raises the possibility of introducing heat-based treatments to mental health care in the future. The study lasted for seven months, […]

Okay, we’ve all been there with the plastic bag and the crusts saved for a weekend walk to the park to feed the ducks. Whether you’re trying to entertain a grumpy toddler or just want to say hello to the local feathered population, we list why feeding ducks bread is so last year (or last […]

If you think people today enjoy a cheeky bottle (or two) of wine on a Friday night, then wait until you hear about the Romans. It’s well established that they loved a bit of vino, even to the point where watching it be made was seen as a form of entertainment. But what did Roman […]

Sprawling underneath Mammoth Cave National Park in the US is, well, a pretty mammoth cave system. In fact, at 686 kilometers (426 miles) in length, it’s the longest cave system in the world – and within it, researchers are making all sorts of discoveries. The latest is two new species of ancient sharks, thought to […]

One of the most important and enigmatic Bronze Age discoveries appears to have incorporated meteoritic iron. The discovery could resolve confusion about the ages not only of the iron items, but the hoard of gold with which they were buried. The Treasure of Villena was discovered in what is now eastern Spain in 1963. The […]

Gold has long been the go-to element for money. However, with gold coins now rarely used in circulating currency, it’s down to mints to produce these impressive promotional hunks of cash – many of which are legal tender. The largest gold coin in the world is the Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold Coin ,produced by […]

A team of researchers in California may have achieved something many of us could only dream of. According to a new preprint study, which has been approved for publication, the researchers claim to have created the first two-way control of a virtual object through lucid dreaming. It is probably safe to say that, for as […]

A new and immersive way of learning about heart health is tackling bias in medical teaching by putting the spotlight on female heart disease. The symptoms of female heart attacks are often very different from those experienced by males, sometimes confused for things like acid reflux or the flu. Built by Elsevier’s 3D4 Medical team, […]

A submersible studying the underneath of the so-called “doomsday glacier” in Antarctica has gone missing during its latest expedition.  The uncrewed underwater vehicle (AUV) named Ran uses sensors to investigate the surrounding water, during sometimes long explorations underneath ice. On its latest trip to the Thwaites Glacier – sometimes known as the doomsday glacier as […]

Let’s travel back in time before Just Eat, five different supermarket chains within a 2-mile radius, or even agriculture. There, you’ll find foraging, one of the most ancient practices there is. Though it’s never truly gone away since then, foraging has seen something of a resurgence in recent years, and with it, a curiosity about […]

Quantum computers have the potential to outperform even the most powerful supercomputers by leveraging the laws of quantum mechanics for their computation. The qubits (quantum bits) that perform those operations are in quantum states that are susceptible to environmental effects, which can lead to errors. For this reason, error correction is a big focus in […]

What we know about the birth of the Sun comes from the many stellar nurseries that we can observe elsewhere in the Universe. Direct evidence is rare, the elements and molecules that were present there have been changed into what the Solar System is like now. But some of those molecules persist and we have […]