Deborah Bloomfield

Long before governments had the power to ping citizens on their smartphones, the pre-Hispanic inhabitants of New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon used conch shell trumpets to send out population-wide notifications. According to new research, the ancient Chacoans may even have deliberately designed their settlements to ensure that everyone was within earshot of a sea-snail toot at […]

Aurorae on Mars are a whole other affair compared to the ones we have on Earth. The Red Planet doesn’t have a magnetic field, so part of the solar wind just slams into the thin Martian atmosphere, creating an ultraviolet light show. At least that’s what NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) can see. […]

The Earth’s magnetic field has changed direction many times over millions of years, sometimes accompanied by temporary weakening. A much longer period in which the field diminished took place between 591 and 565 million years ago. Shortly thereafter, the first fossils of complex animals appear in the geologic record. A new study suggests it might […]

Animal smarts can be pretty impressive. From the frankly terrifying hunting strategies of orcas, to cats clever enough to solve cognitive puzzles, and even fish able to count, the creatures of planet Earth can surely give some humans a run for their money. But which species has the biggest brain – and is a big […]

A new vaccine strategy could spell the end of yearly flu shots, by targeting part of the virus that is much less prone to mutations. So far, it’s worked well in mice and ferrets – could we soon be looking at a human equivalent? Why do we need to get a flu vaccine every year? […]

It has come to our attention that a few people out there are a little confused why flying against the rotation of the Earth does not speed up flight times. Advertisement In a post, admittedly by someone who denies that the Earth is spinning, a confused person writes: Advertisement “Plane flying from east to west […]

Contrary to the popular stereotype, stoners aren’t lazy layabouts. At least, that’s the conclusion of a new study, which found that chronic cannabis users don’t appear to experience any reduction in motivation or willingness to exert effort as a result of their consumption. Advertisement The researchers recruited 260 weed smokers from Reddit, all of whom […]

Many of us are being exposed to chemicals linked to an increased risk of cancer, and a new study has found that they can be absorbed through our skin. The ironic part? They were originally intended to help save our lives. Advertisement Protecting our household items from bursting into flames seems like a no-brainer, right? […]

The black hole information paradox is one of those physics problems that can keep scientists up at night. It strikes at the heart of one of the crucial problems in modern physics: the fact that we can’t reconcile general relativity and quantum mechanics. And it is all black holes’ fault. Advertisement Both quantum mechanics and […]

Say hello to the potato bug. These giant flightless insects are also known as Jerusalem crickets, which is interesting because they are neither potatoes, bugs, nor crickets. Jerusalem crickets span two genera, meanwhile the name “potato bug” can refer to a Jerusalem cricket, a roly-poly, or a Colorado potato beetle. So it seems these massive […]

The more we search among the stars, the more we find potentially habitable planets. And yet to date, we have not found any conclusive signs of intelligent civilizations out there in the cosmos, begging the question: Where is everybody? Advertisement This is the basic question of the Fermi Paradox, to which scientists, philosophers, and science […]

Television dramas often thrive on families where siblings have personalities much more different from each other than people would assume. The same may be true for stars, at least giant ones, and the results could make scientific research on many aspects of astronomy more convoluted than the plot of a long-running series. Advertisement Occasionally a […]

The deepest blue hole in the world has been confirmed in Chetumal Bay, Mexico. Researchers estimate the Taam Ja’ Blue Hole has a depth of at least 420 meters (1,380 feet), but have yet to reach the bottom of the world’s deepest blue hole. What are blue holes? Blue holes like Taam Ja’ formed during […]

The Northern Hemisphere has reached that special time of year. Sun shining, flowers blooming, birds singing… and people sneezing. Pollen season, aka spring, is well and truly upon us. If you’re a hay fever sufferer, depending on the particular types of pollen that really get up your nose, you can now look forward to several […]

Blood transfusions are lifesaving. Every donation of blood will help someone, but because of blood types not all blood can help everyone. Universal donor types are sought-after, but the rest of the donations need to go to specific receivers. At least, for now. Thanks to a new discovery, in the near future all blood might […]

In 2006, off the coast of Iceland, a giant ocean quahog clam (Arctica islandica) was dredged from the ocean floor. Like how you can count the rings in a tree to determine its age, it’s possible to count growth rings on these clams to roughly determine their age. In 2007, scientists did just this. Advertisement […]

July 28, 1973 may not be a famous date for human history, but the same is not true for fish. This was the day two minnows blasted off into space on a quest to learn the cause of motion sickness, or more specifically: do fish get spacesick? Advertisement Spacesickness doesn’t feature much in fiction set […]

A new report details how cats from at least one dairy farm in Texas have died after catching H5N1 avian flu – not from birds, but from drinking raw cow’s milk.   Advertisement Only recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a dairy farm worker had tested positive for H5N1 avian […]

Dog breeder Carole DeBruler, who is the co-owner of Golden Treasures Kennel, took to social media to share the arrival of her latest litter of golden retriever puppies. However, one among the litter was clearly different to their siblings, being born with a strange green tint to their fur.  Advertisement Shamrock, as the pup has […]

The most complete and well-preserved Neanderthal skeleton discovered since the turn of the millennium has been used to reconstruct the face of its owner – a female member of the extinct human lineage who lived around 75,000 years ago. Found within the iconic yet controversial Shanidar Cave – where Neanderthals repeatedly buried their dead, possibly […]