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 […]
A YouTuber Recreated The “Trolley Problem” In Real Life
A YouTuber has recreated the trolley problem, the moral philosophy conundrum in which you are asked whether it is morally justifiable to kill one person in order to save five. The original problem was posed by philosopher Philippa Foot, and later popularized in an article by philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson. Advertisement “Suppose you are the […]
It Takes Three Zebrafish To Make A School, Two Won’t Do
How many fish does it take to make a school? The answer may vary, but for the much-studied zebrafish, the answer is three. Put a triad of the little fish together and they will display the same schooling behavior that can save their lives in larger numbers. Two zebrafish act quite differently. Some birds have […]
Are Women Really Less Likely To Be Psychopaths Than Men?
Think of all the famous psychopaths you know, both real and fictional. Chances are, for every Bonnie you’ve got about 10 Clydes. That’s because we tend to think of psychos as being criminally insane men – an image that has been continually reinforced by on-screen maniacs like Norman Bates (Psycho), Hannibal Lecter (The Silence of […]
Whoops! My Pet Alligator Is Too Big For My Swimming Pool, What Should I Do?
Keeping wild animals as pets is a strange one. On the one hand, properly reared exotic animals can thrive as domesticated pets, and they can be looked after with all due care and attention. However, there comes a time when some people can no longer look after their pets, and it becomes difficult or even […]
Homo Sapiens’ First Homeland Outside Of Africa Has Been Found
One of the biggest moments in human history took place 60,000 to 70,000 years ago when a portion of Homo sapiens left Africa. Despite this epoch’s huge significance, we know surprisingly little about people’s whereabouts from 70,000 to 45,000 years ago when they first set foot into the wider world. Thanks to a combination of […]
Oviraptor: Was It Really “The Egg Thief”?
Ancient deserts were treacherous terrain for dinosaurs, as the environment had a nasty habit of burying its inhabitants. Their loss would be palaeontologists gain a few tens of millions of years down the line, as the unique fossils reveal animal behavior in a way that more scattered remains just can’t, helping us to tackle a […]
Trump’s Attacks On Science During His Presidency Didn’t Have The Desired Effect
Despite his repeated attacks, public trust in scientists and science as an institution actually rose during the US presidency of Donald Trump. Although it is true that mistrust certainly increased across the US, and that views on certain topics have become deeply polarized, any modest rise in mistrust was actually offset by greater trust across […]
Why Do We Have An Innie Or An Outie Belly Button?
Here at IFLScience, we like to cover some of society’s most pressing questions about science. Should death be taught in schools? What do ultra-processed foods mean for our health? And on today’s agenda, perhaps the most important question of them all: what causes an “innie” or an “outie” belly button? What is a belly button? […]
Giant Solar Farms Could Bring Much-Needed Rainclouds To The UAE
In the hyper-arid deserts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), water is scarce but sunshine is bountiful. The oil-rich nation currently uses a small army of cloud-seeding drones and aircraft to ease their water woes, but scientists have recently proposed another way to promote precipitation in the region: gigantic solar farms. In a new study, […]
Bezos’s Plan For The First Private Space Station Just Passed Four Key Milestones
In the near future, astronauts and private citizens might be able to travel to space and spend time in the Orbital Reef – a private space station for long-term living and used for commerce, research, and tourism. The project, headed by Sierra Space and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, aims to be operational in low-Earth orbit […]
One Of The World’s Most Important Ocean Currents Really Is Slowing Down
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has slowed substantially since the mid-90s, a new study reveals. AMOC is an essential component of the systems that keep the Earth’s regional climates in balance. Without it, Europe could suffer colder winters while the tropics could heat up even faster. Climatologists have identified AMOC as one of the […]
What’s The Oldest Dessert In The World?
The dessert options available to us nowadays span a wide range of tastes, from a pint of Ben & Jerry’s to good ol’ apple crumble and custard. But how did the glorious concept of dessert begin? To find out, let’s travel back to the ancient Middle East, a region that nowadays covers countries like Turkey, […]
Could The Sun Be Conscious? Enter The Unorthodox World Of Panpsychism
The nature of consciousness, how it emerges, and how it relates to the physical world has been a major philosophical and scientific topic of debate for as long as humanity has been thinking. Are mind and body separate? Some think yes, others think no, but a third camp expresses an in-between and yet more radical […]
Reusing Deep-Fried Oil May Cause Neurological Disorders
Alarming new research has revealed that consuming reused deep-fried cooking oil may lead to higher levels of neurodegeneration in rats and their offspring. Given that the practice of re-heating the same batch of oil for multiple meals is common in homes and restaurants worldwide, the study’s findings could have major implications for human health. Deep-frying […]
The Power Of Pickles: How Does Fermentation Make Food Last Longer?
Kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut: not the best combination together, but as a part of a balanced diet, these fermented products are superfoods. Fermentation can make a piece of cabbage last months, even years, but what is the pickling power that makes it possible? What are fermented foods? Food fermentation is an example of biotechnology, which […]
The Green Concorde? Watch XB-1 Make Its Trailblazing First Flight In California
After nailing its first flight, the XB-1 experimental aircraft is hoping to usher in a new era of civil supersonic air travel over 20 years after Concorde was forced into retirement. Designed and made by Boom Supersonic, XB-1 completed its maiden flight at Mojave Air & Space Port in California on Friday March 22. Advertisement […]
What Is The Oldest University In The World?
Universities and colleges generally present themselves as grand, well-established institutions, existing on a continuum stretching all the way back to people like Plato and Pythagoras. But the truth is, most of them are pretty young, relatively speaking, barely scratching a few centuries out of the history books. But that makes sense, right? After all, as […]
What’s The Longest Time A Bird Can Fly Without Landing?
Trekking nearly a whole day by plane to Australia might seem like a long-haul flight, but that’s got nothing on what the common swift is capable of. Lots of us get pretty restless after just a few hours, and we’re just sat on our asses. Imagine having to hold your arms out to the side […]
Baltimore’s Key Bridge Collapses After Container Ship Collision
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed at 01:27 am EDT (05:27 am UTC) on March 26. The Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of the bridge’s pillars leading to a catastrophic collapse of the whole structure. At the time, there were workers on the bridge and the Baltimore City Fire Department stated that at […]
