Deborah Bloomfield

Feeling stressed? Don’t sweat. There’s good evidence to suggest that your body will be pumping out its own “homegrown” cannabinoid compounds that help to chill you out. You might be surprised to hear that the human body naturally produces chemicals that are very similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis, […]

A video of a conspiracy theorist has gone over the last few days, in which she invites people to put their “critical thinking skills to the test” and asks “If dinosaurs actually existed, wouldn’t their bones be everywhere?” While it’s odd critical thinking to disregard all the evidence we have that dinosaurs existed because we […]

Four years ago, the first image of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the heart of the Messier 87 galaxy (M87) proved the Internet could be broken by something other than a celebrity’s thirst trap. The excitement was followed up last year by the imaging of the much smaller, but still unimaginably vast, SMBH in […]

Perhaps we have Jurassic Park to blame for giving dinosaurs like the Tyrannosaurus rex and Spinosaurus the biggest and most badass reputations. However, 40 million years before dinosaurs were roaming the Earth, Pampaphoneus biccai, an enormous carnivore from South America, was the most vicious creature on the planet.  An outstanding discovery of a 265 million-year-old, beautifully […]

The JWST has confirmed the results of lesser telescopes as to how fast the universe is expanding. Instead of settling physics debates, this makes things worse, because the previous measurements contradict what astronomers think should be happening, based on the echoes of the Big Bang. This (probably) doesn’t mean we need to throw out most […]

In news that might change how you view Peach from Finding Nemo, scientists have found evidence of interspecies breeding between two closely related sea star species. The common sea star (Asterias rubens) and the Forbes’ sea star (Asterias forbesi) are commonly found in the rocky intertidal zones of the North Atlantic, where they are considered […]

Earlier in the year, the pitter patter of tiny giraffe hooves was heard at Brights Zoo in Tennessee and the internet fell in love with a one-of-a-kind spotless giraffe calf. Now, reports from half a world away in Namibia suggest that the calf, now called Kipekee, is not alone after all. A second patchless giraffe […]

Anyone who has ever overdone it on the space cakes will know that edible cannabis is a whole different ball game to inhaled weed. In general, the oral route of administration results in a stronger high that can take a little while to set in but tends to linger for considerably longer than the buzz […]

The bizarrely geometric geology of Fingal’s Cave has caught the attention of everyone from Queen Victoria to Pink Floyd – and it’s not hard to see why. Thanks to volcanic activity and columnar jointing, this fascinating cave features geology that looks like a glitchy video game that’s sluggishly trying to render.  Fingal’s Cave is a […]

On Friday, September 8, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco. This was the biggest earthquake to hit the country in 123 years and has caused over 2,900 known deaths so far. Unfortunately, the region will likely continue to experience aftershocks for some time, which will frustrate recovery efforts. But what caused this devastating quake? The […]

The Moon and the Earth have been dancing around each other since the Moon was first created 4.5 billion years ago, likely in a collision between planet Theia and Earth. But the orbits of these two bodies have changed over time. The Moon is getting further away from us, meaning one day far in the […]

How do you get to work? Walk? Bus? Train? River? It might sound obscure, but that last one is a legit route of travel for people in the city of Basel, Switzerland. Here, the Rhine river has become a famous swimming spot and one that some people even use as a mode of transportation, floating […]

So many people in the US are using and abusing laxatives that it’s caused a national shortage. Just like many health-related problems of today’s world, the dwindling stockpiles of pooping pills can be explained by a mixture of terrible diets, questionable internet trends, the nation’s aging population, and strains on mental health.  The US is […]

You may have seen people in the last few days discussing the Sun being “broken”. So, is it time to crack each others’ heads open and feast on the gooey bits inside? In short, no. An article is going around the Internet with the title “Part of the Sun is broken”, but as the article […]

Space probes to Venus have detected flashes of light in its clouds that were widely assumed to be lightning. However, a reassessment suggests they are more likely to represent tiny pieces of space dust burning up in the thick Venusian atmosphere.  From the point of view of those seeking to explore the second planet, this […]

Giant fissures have been appearing in the ground across the southwest US. In southcentral Arizona alone, 272 kilometers (169 miles) of these cracks have been mapped, while they have also appeared in Utah, California and Texas.  The cracks are not natural formations, according to Joseph Cook of the Arizona Geological Survey, who told Insider that […]

It is commonly assumed that excessive gaming can lead to various health problems, including poor emotional regulation, bad diets, erratic sleep patterns, and cause mood issues like anxiety, depression, and aggression. However, a new study has shown that contrary to this belief, gamers can actually be healthier than expected. Engaged vs. addicted As of this year, […]

Some of the rarest and most endangered sharks on Earth appear to be influenced by lunar cycles, as they have been observed gathering in enormous numbers during the full Moon. Exactly why these Moon hangouts are taking place is something science has yet to pin down, but research into the phenomenon has turned up some […]