Deborah Bloomfield

So many Native Americans were killed during European colonization that it may have contributed to the Little Ice Age. As European colonizers headed to the Americas, they caused what is known as “Great Dying”. In 1492 CE, the population of Native Americans was estimated to be 60.5 million by a team from University College London, […]

A newly described species of skink was 1,000 times heavier than the typical member of that family. The largest known skink went extinct 47,000 years ago, at the same time as many other Australian giants were dying off. The discoverers believe there are plenty more giant skinks from the same era waiting to be identified, […]

Buried in a bat-ridden cave beneath a Welsh castle, archaeologists have uncovered extremely early evidence of prehistoric humans. Dating to the last Ice Age, the objects left by these people suggest they were among the very first Homo sapiens to dwell in Britain. The discovery was made during ongoing excavations at Wogan Cavern beneath Pembroke […]

A team of scientists claims to have cracked part of the code in telling male and female non-avian dinosaurs apart. In what may be a rare case of evidence of sexual dimorphism in dinosaurs, they’ve sorted a large collection of leg bones into two categories they think are sexually divided, although they can’t say which […]

What’s with bizarrely moving legumes in Central and South America? Mexico has its jumping beans and Argentina has dancing peanuts. This is the name of a curious phenomenon that happens when you drop peanuts into a pint of lager, something that some people do in the country of Tango (to remain on the topic of […]

In basic terms, the Sun doesn’t make sense. Its photosphere, the outer shell from where light is radiated, has a temperature of about 5,600 °C (10,000 °F). Above it, there is the solar corona, which is in the millions of degrees. How the solar corona is heated to such incredible temperatures remains a mystery. A […]

A first-of-its-kind topical gel used to treat erectile dysfunction can now be sold over the counter in the US thanks to a recent authorization by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Known as Eroxon, the gel is a clinically proven treatment for erectile dysfunction and gets to work within just 10 minutes. The FDA […]

Discussions about autism are frequently in the headlines and on social media these days, which has led to more people seeking a diagnosis later in life. An increasing number of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s are learning they are autistic, which may seem daunting at first, but new research has […]

Synthetic human embryos – derived from stem cells without the need for eggs or sperm – have been created for the first time, scientists say. The structures represent the very earliest stages of human development, which could allow for vital studies into disorders like recurrent miscarriage and genetic diseases. But questions have been posed about […]

Scientists believe they may have found a possible risk factor for endometriosis: a type of bacteria commonly found in the guts and mouths of people. If further research confirms these findings, then eliminating the bacteria in question could be a possible way to treat this painful chronic illness.  Endometriosis affects roughly 10 percent of women […]

Astronomers have discovered six new “runaway” stars in the Milky Way. These are stars that move extremely fast and in an unusual direction, usually as the result of a supernova event. Two of the stars are among the fastest objects of their kind ever observed in the galaxy, including one that has the highest constant […]

While its relatives were making the earth shake, one South African sauropod barely made a ripple with a body mass of around just 75 kilograms (165 pounds). That wouldn’t even put it in the top weight class for women’s wrestling at the Olympics, let alone men’s. If it was an asteroid we might say it […]

For the first time, researchers have laid eyes upon a newly discovered species of “gelatinous predator” spotted in the light-deprived depths of the Pacific Ocean. Experts now believe this yet-to-be-described species of jellyfish may illuminate a deeper understanding of the enigmatic aquatic world from which it emerged. Scientists filmed the gelatinous orange organism at a […]

Across Egypt and Sudan, you can find a vast network of stone walls running across the landscape. In a new study, archaeologists detail how some of these ancient structures were constructed by humans over 3,000 years ago and served as an ancient form of hydraulic engineering that tempered the River Nile.  Researchers from the University […]

Scientists have discovered salt crystals in samples from asteroid Itokawa, collected by Hayabusa in 2010. The space rock is an S-type asteroid, which as a class has been considered quite dry, with little water alteration in its past. But the presence of salt indicates that they are not as dry as previously thought. Analysis of […]

Scientists have taken a closer look at “blue balls”, the supposed feelings of pain and discomfort felt in the genitals after sexual situations that don’t lead to an orgasm. Though “blue balls” is a fairly popular term, and the phrase itself originated way back in 1916 in the USA, there has not been much by […]

For the first time, a joyful bundle of at least 15 critically endangered Burmese peacock softshell turtles hatchlings has officially been recorded in the wild.  The news comes from conservation charity Fauna & Flora which has been working alongside local communities living by Myanmar’s Indawgyi Lake, one of the largest inland lakes in Southeast Asia, […]

You’ve seen a dolphin. You’ve seen an elephant. Put them together (sort of) and what do you get? Nihohae matakoi, whose tusk-like front teeth set it apart from modern dolphin species. A new analysis of a fossilized skull found in New Zealand in 1998 has revealed that it belonged to one of these charismatic creatures, and […]

If you care about the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System and are not already on board the Enceladus bandwagon, now might be a great time to join. Already described as having “all the elements necessary for life,” the little moon has now been shown to have one of the utmost importance in […]

The only scientist to walk on the Moon found out that he was allergic to it. Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt made the discovery upon returning to the landing module, while still on the lunar surface. Schmitt walked on the Moon in December 1972, the final crewed mission to the Moon before the Apollo […]