Deborah Bloomfield

Sometimes it pays off to have a second look at something even over 100 years later. The fossil remains of a marine reptile that lived 247 million years ago have been re-examined 106 years after it was first described. The researchers have concluded that this means Trachelosaurus fischeri is the world’s oldest long-necked marine reptile.  Trachelosaurus […]

Rinsing out your sinuses can be part of ritual ablution, and might also be useful when you have a blocked nose. However, a new study has illustrated the importance of using sterile liquids to do so, as people using unsterilized tap water can become ill with a rare type of amoeba infection. Amoeba species like […]

Marine biologists are trying to make sense of a set of 49 killer whales whose physical characteristics are a mix of those normally associated with separate populations. They have been seen attacking sperm whales, a northern elephant seal, and a turtle, while also carrying the marks of frequent duels with sharks. There’s a reason Orcinus […]

If you’ve got half a million dollars to splash on a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience, then you may want to consider eating at the world’s highest table. Carried to the very limit of Earth’s atmosphere by a high-altitude balloon, the stratospheric eatery is the work of New York-based SpaceVIP and Florida-based Space Perspective, which has been […]

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections are dramatic releases of energy and plasma from the Sun. When they are directed at Earth, they can affect radio communications, harm satellites, and create spectacular aurorae. But Earth is not the only target that can be affected by these events. The other objects in the solar system are […]

Since the creation of nuclear weapons, we have lived in a world where an all-out war could destroy humanity many times over. Studies have found that just 100 or so warheads could plunge the world into nuclear winter, which could claim up to 1 billion lives. As of 2023, we have an approximated 12,500 nuclear […]

According to a major new analysis, neurological conditions have now overtaken cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of ill health and disability globally. Using data from the 2021 edition of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), researchers examined the impact of 37 different neurological conditions – including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, […]

The US National Park Service has identified the remains of a British warship, HMS Tyger, which sank in 1742 when it ran aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas, now a national park in the Gulf of Mexico. The story of HMS Tyger is tied to a peculiarly named conflict between Britain and Spain […]

With armor-like shells covered in eyes, chitons are truly strange little beasties. Now, researchers have discovered even more weirdness underlying the evolution of their visual systems. Not only do chitons have the most recently evolved eyes with a lens, but their two kinds of eyes arose in four separate events. Chitons are marine mollusks – and […]

A treasure chest of unique biodiversity has been discovered along the strip of mountains that runs from northern Mozambique to Malawi’s Mount Mulanje in southeast Africa. Unfortunately, the area suffers some of the highest deforestation rates in Africa, leaving this rich array of wonderful wildlife with an uncertain future.  The plethora of life was recently […]

Shirts designed for men and women button on different sides, with men’s buttons appearing on the right hand side and women’s buttons on the left. This is a bit odd given that humans are predominantly right-handed, and women a touch more likely to be right-handed than men. So how have we ended up in a situation […]

Octopus farming has officially been outlawed in Washington state thanks to a first-of-its-kind bill being signed into law. Washington HB 1153, which prohibits octopus farming in the state, was officially signed into law on March 13, 2024, after receiving the green light from Governor Jay Inslee. The policy will come into action on June 11, […]

Ants have long been a source of food across the globe, and each species has its own unique flavor. Researchers have analyzed these edible ants to get an idea of where their delectable tastes and smells come from, highlighting the untapped potential for their use in culinary settings in countries that have historically been reticent […]

With their extraordinarily long tentacles and elusive behavior, bigfin squids are arguably one of the most alluring animals of the deep sea. Sightings of live individuals in the wild are extremely rare, but an increasing number of observations have been made in recent years thanks to advancements in deep-sea exploration technology. Bigfin squids belong to […]

The transmission of deep notes within red giant stars can tell us their distances, providing a new way to measure the universe. That could prove useful to astronomers under any circumstances – but even more so when measurements of cosmic distances have put question marks over our models of the universe, which some consider a […]

An enormous ancient island that now lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean may hold vast reserves of rare earth elements and other valuable minerals. Known as the Rio Grande Rise (RGR), the submerged continental plateau formed as a volcanic ridge around 40 million years ago and was once a large tropical landmass covered […]

Cicada season is coming up soon, and you’d better make sure you grab your raincoat if you’re planning on heading outside. Why, we hear you ask? Not because of April showers, it turns out, but because you might just get hit by a jet stream of cicada pee – and this unusual trait has helped […]

Beneath the rocky surface of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado, US, lurks a settlement primed for Armageddon. The Cheyenne Mountain Complex was built at the height of the Cold War, and, when it pulls out all the stops, can withstand nuclear, electromagnetic, and biological attacks. What is the Cheyenne Mountain Complex? The bunker-on-steroids is one of […]

Hair loss is something that many people will experience in their lives, and though some might be tempted to say, “it’s just hair”, it can have a profoundly negative impact on the people affected by it. As a result, science has long been searching for a way that hair loss can be treated – so […]

You’re probably familiar with classic sauropod dinosaurs – the four-legged herbivores famous for their long necks and tails. Animals such as Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Diplodocus have been standard fixtures in science museums since the 1800s. With their small brains and enormous bodies, these creatures have long been the poster children for animals destined to go […]