Deborah Bloomfield

Solar flares and coronal mass ejections are dramatic releases of energy and plasma from the Sun. When they are directed at Earth, they can affect radio communications, harm satellites, and create spectacular aurorae. But Earth is not the only target that can be affected by these events. The other objects in the solar system are […]

Since the creation of nuclear weapons, we have lived in a world where an all-out war could destroy humanity many times over. Studies have found that just 100 or so warheads could plunge the world into nuclear winter, which could claim up to 1 billion lives. As of 2023, we have an approximated 12,500 nuclear […]

According to a major new analysis, neurological conditions have now overtaken cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of ill health and disability globally. Using data from the 2021 edition of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), researchers examined the impact of 37 different neurological conditions – including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, […]

The US National Park Service has identified the remains of a British warship, HMS Tyger, which sank in 1742 when it ran aground on the reefs of the Dry Tortugas, now a national park in the Gulf of Mexico. The story of HMS Tyger is tied to a peculiarly named conflict between Britain and Spain […]

With armor-like shells covered in eyes, chitons are truly strange little beasties. Now, researchers have discovered even more weirdness underlying the evolution of their visual systems. Not only do chitons have the most recently evolved eyes with a lens, but their two kinds of eyes arose in four separate events. Chitons are marine mollusks – and […]

A treasure chest of unique biodiversity has been discovered along the strip of mountains that runs from northern Mozambique to Malawi’s Mount Mulanje in southeast Africa. Unfortunately, the area suffers some of the highest deforestation rates in Africa, leaving this rich array of wonderful wildlife with an uncertain future.  The plethora of life was recently […]

Shirts designed for men and women button on different sides, with men’s buttons appearing on the right hand side and women’s buttons on the left. This is a bit odd given that humans are predominantly right-handed, and women a touch more likely to be right-handed than men. So how have we ended up in a situation […]

Octopus farming has officially been outlawed in Washington state thanks to a first-of-its-kind bill being signed into law. Washington HB 1153, which prohibits octopus farming in the state, was officially signed into law on March 13, 2024, after receiving the green light from Governor Jay Inslee. The policy will come into action on June 11, […]

Ants have long been a source of food across the globe, and each species has its own unique flavor. Researchers have analyzed these edible ants to get an idea of where their delectable tastes and smells come from, highlighting the untapped potential for their use in culinary settings in countries that have historically been reticent […]

With their extraordinarily long tentacles and elusive behavior, bigfin squids are arguably one of the most alluring animals of the deep sea. Sightings of live individuals in the wild are extremely rare, but an increasing number of observations have been made in recent years thanks to advancements in deep-sea exploration technology. Bigfin squids belong to […]

The transmission of deep notes within red giant stars can tell us their distances, providing a new way to measure the universe. That could prove useful to astronomers under any circumstances – but even more so when measurements of cosmic distances have put question marks over our models of the universe, which some consider a […]

An enormous ancient island that now lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean may hold vast reserves of rare earth elements and other valuable minerals. Known as the Rio Grande Rise (RGR), the submerged continental plateau formed as a volcanic ridge around 40 million years ago and was once a large tropical landmass covered […]

Cicada season is coming up soon, and you’d better make sure you grab your raincoat if you’re planning on heading outside. Why, we hear you ask? Not because of April showers, it turns out, but because you might just get hit by a jet stream of cicada pee – and this unusual trait has helped […]

Beneath the rocky surface of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado, US, lurks a settlement primed for Armageddon. The Cheyenne Mountain Complex was built at the height of the Cold War, and, when it pulls out all the stops, can withstand nuclear, electromagnetic, and biological attacks. What is the Cheyenne Mountain Complex? The bunker-on-steroids is one of […]

Hair loss is something that many people will experience in their lives, and though some might be tempted to say, “it’s just hair”, it can have a profoundly negative impact on the people affected by it. As a result, science has long been searching for a way that hair loss can be treated – so […]

You’re probably familiar with classic sauropod dinosaurs – the four-legged herbivores famous for their long necks and tails. Animals such as Brachiosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Diplodocus have been standard fixtures in science museums since the 1800s. With their small brains and enormous bodies, these creatures have long been the poster children for animals destined to go […]

This week, new data challenges the belief that male mammals are typically larger than females, scientists are investigating the effects of microgravity on blood spatter patterns, and 11,000-year-old earrings and lip studs might be the world’s oldest piercings. Finally, we question why animals act so strangely during a solar eclipse. Subscribe to the IFLScience newsletter […]

Long COVID is real, as are the experiences of those who suffer with lasting symptoms after a bout of the illness. But according to new data, it may not be a unique condition. At an upcoming conference, a team including the Chief Health Officer for the state of Queensland, Australia, will present evidence suggesting there […]

It’s safe to say that the Stanley Quencher Cup reached an astronomical level of popularity last year – to the point where people went full “fisticuffs at dawn” just to get a particular color. But then, earlier this year, a series of videos on social media started claiming that the cups contained lead – which, […]

Scientists have found the first unconventional superconductor whose chemical composition is also found in nature. The mineral in question is called miassite, a truly peculiar substance. There are only three other natural superconductors but they follow the rules of Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer theory, the first microscopic theory of superconductivity. Lab-grown miassite is different. Superconductivity means the ability […]