Our family dog used to have a rather noticeable extra eyelid that became especially apparent when he dozed off, usually upturned on the rug. This is the fleshy curtain seen at the corner of each eye, closest to the nose. It’s also commonly called the nictitating (literally “blinking”) membrane. You may have noticed these “third” […]
How Neanderthal Language Differed From Modern Human – They Probably Didn’t Use Metaphors
The Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) fascinate researchers and the general public alike. They remain central to debates about the nature of the genus Homo (the broad biological classification that humans and their relatives fall into). Neanderthals are also vital for understanding the uniqueness or otherwise of our species, Homo sapiens. We shared an ancestor with the […]
Largest Analysis Of Ancient African DNA Reveals Origin Myth Was True All Along
“Medieval history” often brings up images of knights in shining armor, rampaging crusaders, and dying horribly from common and preventable causes. Far away from all those peculiarly disgusting Europeans, though, on what we now know as the Swahili Coast of Eastern Africa, there was something pretty amazing going on – as a study revealed back in 2023. Advertisement “The findings were very eye-opening,” said […]
Why Do We Feel Acceleration, But Not Constant Speed?
As a science website, it’s easy to get bogged down in questions like “Is there life on Enceladus?” and “Where are all the aliens?”, when people are struggling with more basic (but fun!) questions like “Why can’t we power our cars with magnets?” and “If you fell from a skyscraper on the Moon, would you die or otherwise […]
Abandoned Mine In Finland To Be Turned Into A Huge Gravity Battery
One of the deepest metal mines in Europe – the Pyhäsalmi Mine in central Finland – is to be turned into an enormous gravity battery capable of storing 2 megawatts of energy. Advertisement As the planet moves towards renewable energy, we are faced with the problem of storage. The problem is that the wind doesn’t […]
Probiotics Vs Prebiotics: What’s The Difference?
Our bodies are absolutely chock-full of microorganisms, collectively known as the human microbiome. Science suggests that it could impact our health and some people believe they have a simple solution for that: probiotics and prebiotics. Advertisement But do these claims have any substance to them? And what exactly is the difference between the two anyway? […]
New Footage Could Be First-Ever Captured Of Colossal Squid Baby, Your Star Sign Has No Impact On Your Well-Being, And Much More This Week
This week, a report by whale scientists may finally explain why orcas have been attacking boats, a billionaire has plans for a new submersible trip to the Titanic wreckage, and a tiny fern has broken the world record for the largest genome of any organism. Finally, we explore how humans and chimpanzees are able to […]
Woman Goes For A Walk And Accidentally Discovers Huge 900-Year-Old Treasure Trove
If you’ve been trying to convince yourself to exercise more lately, consider the recent case of a woman in the Czech Republic who went out for a walk one day and accidentally found a treasure trove of more than 2,150 silver coins dating from more than 900 years ago. Advertisement It’s a discovery that “can […]
Should You Really Be Feeding Your Dog Raw Meat?
There seems to be a growing debate about whether you should feed your dog raw meat or not. It is a popular trend that is all over TikTok with pet influencers and is encouraged by some holistic veterinarians, but is it all it’s cracked up to be? What is the “Bones And Raw Food” diet? […]
What Is Manganese? All You Need To Know About The Mineral Behind The Fiji Water Recall
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced a recall of nearly 79,000 cases of Fiji bottled water, after bacterial contamination and high levels of manganese were discovered. Bacteria in your water is clearly something best avoided – but what’s all this about manganese? What is this vital mineral, and what can happen to […]
Tiny Fern Breaks The World Record For The Largest Genome Of Any Organism
The saying goes that good things come in small packages, and while the discovery of the world’s largest genome in any organism is an incredible find, the reality is a little bit more complicated than that. The New Caledonian fork fern species Tmesipteris oblanceolata has a genome that when stretched out would be taller than […]
What Was The Largest Ape To Ever Live?
The largest species of great ape to ever walk the Earth was Gigantopithecus blacki. Standing over 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) tall and weighing up to 300 kilograms (661 pounds), the extinct species would have easily dwarfed the gorillas, orangutans, chimps, and bonobos of today. Advertisement What is a Gigantopithecus? G. blacki is sometimes called the […]
Watch Iceland’s Lava Bubble And Spray In Mesmerizing Volcanic Video
Iceland is famous for its volcanic activity, from the ash cloud produced by Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 that grounded flights, to countless news reports of recent eruptions. Advertisement Footage from the latest eruption shows the lava spreading near the Reykjanes peninsula, the fifth eruption in that area since December. According to the BBC, the small fishing […]
Forget Stonehenge, Why Was “Seahenge” Built Over 4,000 Years Ago?
Everyone knows about the stacked rocks of Stonehenge in South West England, but on the country’s east coast, there’s another prehistoric monument that’s no less fascinating. Known as Seahenge, a researcher has re-investigated why the mysterious structure was built over 4,000 years ago. Advertisement Seahenge, also known as Holme I, was only discovered in 1998 […]
Colossal Squid, A Titanic Trip, And Debunking Star Signs
This week on Break It Down, a mystery sighting in the deep ocean could be the first-ever footage of a colossal squid baby, orca attacks are more mischief than vengeance, astrology is debunked yet again, a second billionaire plans a trip to the Titanic, the world’s largest genome comes in a surprisingly small package, and […]
Is Collapse Of The Atlantic Ocean Circulation Really Imminent? Icebergs’ History Reveals Some Clues
When people think about the risks of climate change, the idea of abrupt changes is pretty scary. Movies like “The Day After Tomorrow” feed that fear, with visions of unimaginable storms and populations fleeing to escape rapidly changing temperatures. While Hollywood clearly takes liberties with the speed and magnitude of disasters, several recent studies have […]
Break It Down – The Biggest Science News Of 2024 So Far
Welcome to Break It Down, your bite-size guide to this week in science. Join hosts Eleanor Higgs and Rachael Funnell as they discuss the biggest news stories of the week with guests from the IFLScience team and maybe even a surprise expert or two. Here’s what you may have missed in episodes 1 to 15, […]
What Is The Heaviest Element?
The most up-to-date version of the periodic table contains 118 elements. It’s easy to imagine you can find the heaviest by scanning to the last element on the table, but that only gives one of several answers. Advertisement What Do We Mean By Heaviest? You’ve probably heard the old trick question; “Which is heavier, a […]
First Patient Gets mRNA Bowel Cancer Vaccine In England, With Thousands More Coming
There’s great news today for cancer patients in England, as thousands are set to be fast-tracked onto a new program that will give them access to experimental personalized vaccines. The initiative, called the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad, aims to get more patients onto trials of mRNA vaccines against their specific cancer, in the hopes of […]
As Aurora-Causing Sunspot Returns, Here’s What To Look Out For In June
May 2024 was a hard act to follow, so June certainly has its work cut out. However, an old friend is returning to help keep the party going, with the potential to trigger a repeat of the historic aurorae that lit up the night skies across the world last month. Advertisement That old chum is, […]
