Deborah Bloomfield

Fans of ancient animals may have heard the term “living fossil” used to describe creatures that have taken a relaxed approach to evolution, remaining seemingly unchanged for millions of years. Now, new research into gars is the first to uncover a mechanism that can explain why some animals get left behind. In some living fossils, […]

The chromosomes in cephalopods that determine whether they will be male or female have been in use for at least 248 million years – longer than those for any other animal equivalent we have found. The longevity contrasts with other animal classes, which change systems far more frequently. Not all animals use chromosomes to determine […]

Xenotransplantation, the transplantation of non-human body parts into humans, has recently come blazing to the forefront of biomedical science. In the past two years, this once-obscure field of surgery has reached several important milestones, including the transplantation of genetically engineered pig hearts and kidneys into brain-dead patients. As groundbreaking as these feats may be, xenotransplantation […]

A world-first achievement has been announced by de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences, who have set themselves the goal of creating a woolly mammoth by 2028. Using a multi-pronged approach, their woolly mammoth team say they’ve unlocked how to “reprogram” an elephant in creating stem cell-like cells that can differentiate into the three germ layers needed to […]

The nematodes inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) give precisely zero fucks about the background radiation levels surrounding the ill-fated power plant, new research has revealed. After analyzing the microscopic worms’ genomes, scientists discovered that the creatures’ DNA remains completely unaltered despite having been exposed to levels of ionizing radiation that we humans think of […]

Some 38 million years ago, a termite couple snuck off to engage in some prehistoric sexy time, only to be swamped in tree resin and immortalized in amber for eternity. How embarrassing.  This incredible 38-million-year-old amber specimen was unearthed at the Yantarny mine in Kaliningrad, Russia. Inside the clear specimen, you can see two members […]

No matter how advanced we get; no matter where or when we live – some things will always be true. A triangle will always have three sides. Two will always equal two. And there’s always money in figuring out new ways to let people kill each other. One company taking advantage of that quirk of […]

If we define an ocean as simply a large body of liquid, then the biggest ocean in the Solar System is inside Jupiter. Not that it would be anything like we are used to. Under enormous pressures and high temperatures, hydrogen is in its metallic liquid state, sloshing about the planet’s interior. This is responsible […]

An “environmental crisis” is looming in the Red Sea after a cargo ship carrying huge amounts of fertilizer was sunk off the coast of Yemen. Rubymar – a Belize-flagged, UK-owned cargo ship carrying approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer – was sunk in the Red Sea by Houthi forces using an anti-ship […]

The world is full of spectacular phenomena, from those caused by weather patterns, to the flora and fauna of the natural world. In the USA, the middle of February marks the start of firefall season at Yosemite National Park – and yes, it is just as spectacular as it sounds. Shreenivasan Manievannan captured incredible time-lapse […]

It’s difficult enough keeping up with regular theories without having to keep up with their weird, paranoid cousin the conspiracy theory. For anyone wanting a quick update on the latter, there appears to be a new one emerging, stating that the Moon is not made of rock after all. The idea, if you are willing […]

For several years, NASA has been translating some of the most iconic images taken by its fleet of telescopes into sound. The results are always pretty extraordinary, providing a different way to translate the data. NASA is releasing a documentary about the project on its free streaming platform NASA+ and to mark the occasion the […]

In April 2010, an unusual magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred below Granada, Spain, sending out weird seismic waves that were picked up by monitoring stations in Spain and Morocco. Now, researchers believe the unusual seismic signals were caused by a large piece of the ocean crust that sunk into the Earth’s mantle and completely flipped over […]

Utah and Nevada, USA, have been hit by high winds this week, causing a ridiculous number of tumbleweeds to engulf the cars, buildings, and streets in what is being called “tumblemageddon”. Severe weather and 70 miles-per-hour wind sent tumbleweeds to Utah and Nevada, causing pileups of the plants in front of residents’ homes, with many […]

Welcome to the ocean, home of all manner of creatures: from the cutest dumbo octopus, to the predatory power of orcas, and everything in between. One creature has captured the imagination of many, from stories of ruined ships to giant tentacles emerging from the deep – but what’s really going on with the colossal squid? […]

The JWST’s observations of the galaxy GN-z11 have revealed a clump of helium in the galactic halo that may contain the much-sought first generation of stars. Stars like the Sun contain metals only forged in the last stages of stellar life. These elements come from previous generations of stars that produced these heavier elements as […]

A committee of scientists has voted down a proposal to introduce a new geological age known as the Anthropocene, defined by humanity’s growing influence on our environment.  For over a decade, scientists have argued about whether or not we are living in a new geological epoch. Geologists separate time into geological eras based on distinct […]

The extinction of the Java stingaree, the changes to the seasons, record-breaking temperatures – there’s a long list of victims when it comes to the negative impacts of human activity on the planet. The latest member to join the group? The freshwater cycle, according to a new study. Freshwater is the not-so-salty type of water […]

If you were hoping to catch a glimpse of Death Valley’s ephemeral Lake Manly, it appears you’ve missed the boat – quite literally, as it turns out. With the help of some strong winds, the lake is packing up its watery bags and spreading out, making it so shallow that it’s now closed to boating.  […]

We know it’s been mere months since we told you the world’s oldest forest is in New York state, but scratch that: it’s actually in southwest England. At 390 million years old, a bunch of fossilized trees on the other side of the Atlantic has supplanted the US’s record by several million years. Prior to […]