Deborah Bloomfield

On Monday, SpaceX made space history, as four astronauts were launched into a pole-to-pole orbit not traveled by any human before them. But why is this orbit so unusual, and why has nobody done it before? Though the Fram2 mission is a private one on behalf of cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang, the crew has a […]

Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have created a high-energy, ultrashort, ultrahigh current petawatt peak power electron beam in a particle accelerator. This will allow them to study the behavior of physical systems and chemical reactions with higher precision than ever before. The beam is in the cutting-edge femtosecond (10-15 seconds) range of duration, […]

Barnard’s Star is located just 6 light-years away from us. It is the closest single star to the Sun and the fourth closest star overall, after the three stars in the Alpha Centauri system. Just a few months ago, it was discovered that it had a little planet around it. Now three more have been […]

Scientists have developed a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease that can help diagnose the neurodegenerative disease while also indicating how far it has progressed. The results could help doctors decide which medications to prescribe depending on how long they’ve had the condition. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, a disorder that slowly […]

Pretty, pink petals are scattered around the Tidal Basin of Washington DC where cherry blossom season has reached peak bloom. But have you ever wondered why the US capital becomes adorned with these iconic blossoms each spring? In 2025, Washington DC’s cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on March 28, according to the National Park Service. […]

Seeing a white light, feeling yourself leave your body, and sensing the presence of some sort of supernatural entity are all hallmarks of near-death experiences (NDEs), and scientists think they may now be able to explain these strange conscious phenomena. Often reported by cardiac arrest sufferers after resuscitation, these stereotypical visions and sensations may actually […]

Rivers start in mountains, join other streams as they flow downhill, then channel into an open ocean or lake. Right? Well, not always. In a new study, scientists have reviewed nine rivers and lakes in the Americas that appear at first to break away from the conventional rules of hydrology. These include the Casiquiare River […]

Many have expressed concern that people in the United States are much less safe today than they were yesterday, after the Trump administration, through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., began the process of firing around 10,000 people from agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services, […]

An underwater vehicle known as “Boaty McBoatface” after its naming was left to the public had recovered a long-lost camera from the depths of Loch Ness, aimed at capturing images of the fabled Loch Ness Monster. For centuries, people have claimed to have seen an enormous animal lurking in Loch Ness in Scotland. The first […]

Over the last few years, there have been increasingly worrying reports about the toxic impacts so called “forever” chemicals are having on our health and the wider environment. It’s hard stuff to swallow, but now there is a little glimmer of light in this worrying story. Researchers have developed a solution that removes these substances […]

The year is 1962. The place: Scarasson, a glacial cave in the French Alps. Climbing out of the abyss for the first time in more than two months is a lone man, eyes covered in dark goggles to protect them from the light of the Sun. He has no idea what the date is; he […]

People on the Internet do like to ask a ridiculous question. One such question, posed several times throughout recent Internet history, has become a meme classic; “Why does ha make hot but hoo make cold? I’m talking about mouth wind”. In less Internet-speak terms, the question is really asking why you are able to produce […]

Less than a decade ago, researchers found a peculiar phase of matter where the electrons of a particular compound would behave in two very distinct phases. Some had spins that were very well organized, while others were a complete mess. They called this the “half fire, half ice” state. Now, researchers have found that under […]

China has struck black-gold after discovering 100 million tons of oil beneath the seabed. A major oilfield, called Huizhou 19-6, was recently found in the deep and ultra-deep layers under the South China Sea, according to an announcement on Monday by the state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). Test wells have already sucked up […]

Everyone knows about rain, snow, sleet, and hail, but don’t forget about their lesser-known cousin: freezing rain. This rare and fascinating type of precipitation occurs when liquid rain hits a cold surface and rapidly freezes, creating a slick (and often very pretty) layer of ice. Here’s everything you need to know about this stunning yet […]

Uranus has not had a whole lot of love from NASA and has been explored by a probe only once. Voyager 2 sent back spectacular pictures of the ice giant, resembling a perfect blue ball in space. But the Hubble Space Telescope has been keeping a close eye on the planet, imaging Uranus regularly as […]

A new species of plant has been discovered in eastern Peninsular Malaysia and researchers believe it is already critically endangered. The new plant has been named Thismia aliasii and is part of the Thismia genus, which contains plants that do not photosynthesize. Instead, these unusual-looking plants rely on fungi for their nutrients and are known […]

The most common lithium-ion batteries suffer a previously unknown form of degradation when they run very low on charge, making it a good idea to give them a little extra juice before they run out entirely. People under 40 might not believe it, but there was a time before lithium-ion batteries dominated the market. Back […]

A new study may have helped explain part of the enduring mystery of how animals evolved our buttholes.  We take our own anuses for granted. While they may not be able to fire out our guts as a defense like some animals we could mention, or disappear and reappear when needed like the sea walnut, […]

You wake suddenly in the night and find yourself facing a shadowy figure. It looms over you, the eery silhouette topped with what looks like a fedora. You feel as though your arms have been tethered to your body and you can’t move. Your eyes scan the room, it’s 3 am (there’s a reason why […]