Taking cannabidiol (CBD) for chronic pain is unlikely to have much of an effect, but it may at least relieve you of some of the weight in your wallet, a new study has found. After analyzing the results of existing clinical trials involving CBD, researchers found that there is simply no evidence that the compound […]
Whales Must Be Granted Personhood, Say Pacific Indigenous Leaders
Indigenous leaders from across the Pacific have officially ratified the He Whakaputanga Moana (Declaration for the Ocean), a document that calls for whales to have legal personhood and all the rights that come with it. “The sound of our ancestor’s song has grown weaker, and her habitat is under threat, which is why we must […]
Next-Gen “Invisibility Shields” Are Here And Stealthier Than Ever
Invisibility cloaks were once the stuff of ancient myth and sci-fi, but a British start-up has been busy spending the past four years making them a reality. Invisibility Shield Co. released their first-generation product in 2022 with much online fanfare and hype. Now, the company is looking to launch their latest second-generation shields that are […]
Why Do Onions Make Us Cry?
By far the biggest drama queens of the fruit and vegetable world are the alliums: the onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, and various bulbous cousins. Oh, they may look calm and innocent when they’re sitting pretty in the grocery store or your cupboard – but as soon as you cut into them, out come the waterworks. […]
Rare Dust Particle Trapped In Ancient Meteorite Is Older Than The Sun
The composition of a tiny grain within an Antarctic meteorite alerted astronomers it predated the Sun. On further investigation, they have concluded the mix of isotopes present requires the grain to have been formed from the output of an unusual type of supernova, which seeded the galaxy with some very distinctive isotopes. Although most meteorites […]
Potentially Fatal Consequence Linked To Upcoming US Total Solar Eclipse
With April’s total solar eclipse fast approaching, we’ve had our fair share of warnings already, from potential air travel disruption to expected difficulties accessing food, water, and fuel. Now, according to new research, we may also need to beware of potentially fatal road traffic crashes. Looking at 2017’s total eclipse, researchers found that fatal road […]
Human Brains Are Getting Bigger – Could This Impact Our Health?
The size of the human brain has been increasing each decade since at least the 1930s, new research has revealed. According to the study authors, this cerebral growth is likely to be the result of improved early life environmental factors and may act as a buffer against the threat of dementia as we age. Researchers […]
Aphantasia: Everything We Know So Far About Having No Mind’s Eye
It was only in 2015 that Professor Adam Zeman first came up with a term to describe the peculiar condition of having no mind’s eye. He called it aphantasia, and before it had a name many who resonate with the description had no idea others processed information differently. Now, almost 10 years on, Zeman has […]
Man Convicted Of Vandalism After Diverting Course Of River At US National Park
Has Pierce Brosnon taught us nothing? Far from how we should order our martinis, the former Bond actor was recently in court and later fined for trespassing in Yellowstone National Park and it appears the cautionary tale did not reach everyone. Now a man has been convicted for taking a shovel to the sands at Sleeping […]
Earth’s Changing Shape May Cause A Global Timekeeping Crisis
Unless we take action, global timekeeping could be heading toward a major problem that will upset everything from computer networks to financial markets. The culprit, oddly enough, is melting polar ice caused by climate change. The world uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to ensure there’s a consistent, standardized measure of time across the world to […]
A Neutron Star’s Jet Speeds Have Been Measured For The First Time
Astronomers have found a way to measure the jets produced by an accreting neutron star. It is hoped that once a large sample of such measurements have been made it will be possible to answer a question that has bugged astronomers since the jets were discovered: what is accelerating these jets so spectacularly? According to […]
Unexploded Bombs From World Wars Are Coming Back To Bite Us
Earth is riddled with millions of tonnes of explosive bomb material, particularly from the two world wars that struck the 20th century. While most have remained buried and forgotten over the past decades, new research is showing that many are loaded with a chemical that’s making them increasingly prone to blowing up as time goes […]
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current Is Speeding Up – And It’s Not The First Time
Ancient ocean sediments have revealed the fluctuations in the strength of the Atlantic Circumpolar Current (ACC) over the last 5.3 million years. Comparisons with climatic conditions paint a complicated picture, but in more recent times, the current has been strongest when the Earth is at its hottest. Consequently, it’s no surprise that it’s happening again […]
Mountain Chicken Frogs, Giant Salamanders, And Scrotum Frogs Get A New Home At ZSL
Rare reptiles and amphibians can now be found lurking in a new exhibit at ZSL London Zoo which aims to showcase some of the conservation work going on behind the scenes to return rare and endangered species to the wild. Mountain chicken frogs, big-headed turtles, and giant salamanders make up just a few of the […]
How To Best Photograph The Upcoming Solar Eclipse
For many people, total solar eclipses are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So if you are, or you are going to be, on the path of totality on April 8, you might want to consider not just safely watching it but snapping photos of the incredible event. You will have several minutes of totality, so you have […]
Want To Change Your Personality? You Can! A Little Bit, Anyway
“Almost everyone wishes to modify their personality in some way,” is the straight-shooting opener to a new paper that promises to detail four mechanisms by which you too could achieve lasting change. But we wouldn’t want you to go in with lofty expectations – the scientists say that small adjustments are the most you can […]
Childbirth Vs Pain In The Balls
IFLScience needs the contact information you provide to us to contact you about our products and services. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. For information on how to unsubscribe, as well as our privacy practices and commitment to protecting your privacy, check out ourPrivacy Policy Deborah BloomfieldSource Link: Childbirth Vs Pain In […]
This Tree Was Around When Ancient Egyptians Built The Pyramids Of Giza
In a world that changes as rapidly as ours does, it can be hard to imagine much that stands the test of time. Trees, however, seem to be pretty damn good at it (unless we keep chopping them down, of course) – and there’s even one that’s seen us through since the Ancient Egyptians were […]
Incredible First View Of The Magnetic Fields Around Our Galaxy’s Supermassive Black Hole
The team that gave us the first-ever image of a black hole has released a new image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, this time seen in polarised light for the first time. The image has captured the magnetic field structures spiraling around the black hole, similar […]
One Of The World’s Rarest Plants Has Been Reintroduced To A Secret Site In The Wild
One of the world’s rarest plants just grew in number by 30. Cotoneaster cambricus was once on the brink of extinction with just six known individuals in the wild, but that number has now been boosted to 110, including the secret release of 30 plants reintroduced to a mystery location. C. cambricus is known only […]
