Deborah Bloomfield

Evidence has been found for the previously speculative idea that Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are caused by neutron stars having a sort of earthquake. The same work also throws doubt on one alternative explanation, that they are caused by stellar flares. If the connection is confirmed, it could not only tell us more about the […]

The milky discharge of the Sonoran Desert Toad contains what may be the most potent psychedelic compound on Earth, yet researchers are yet to figure out how the rotund little creature produces its mind-melting ooze. Seeking the source of the amphibian’s stupefying secretions, the authors of an as-yet un-peer-reviewed study pumped the stomachs of dozens […]

Update 10/12/23: Bad weather has delayed the launch of Psyche. The launch window opens again tomorrow, October 13 at 10:19 am (2:19 pm UTC).  Today, NASA is launching the first-ever mission to a metal-rich asteroid. The Psyche spacecraft will travel 3.5 billion kilometers (2.2 billion miles) to visit its namesake, asteroid Psyche, thought to be […]

If you’ve seen a squirrel while out for a walk lately, or even nipped over to your friend’s house to feed the cat while they’ve been out of town, it might not even have crossed your mind that all terrestrial vertebrates have four legs. From the cows in the field to the lions on the […]

There are so many different types of love, and we experience each type uniquely – but what does that actually look like? With the help of hundreds of volunteers, scientists have mapped where 27 distinct types of love are felt within the human body and revealed that it’s as much about the head as the […]

A couple in Colorado have shared footage they captured from a train, which people appear to believe is Bigfoot having a stroll and a sit-down. The footage, which is trending on X (or Twitter, as it is still largely known), shows a hairy figure walking across the grass, before sitting down for a rest. Shannon […]

Some asteroids are dense. So dense in fact, that they may contain heavy elements outside of the periodic table, according to a new study on mass density. The team of physicists from The University of Arizona say they were motivated by the possibility of Compact Ultradense Objects (CUDOs) with a mass density greater than Osmium, […]

In the 19th century, the discovery of dinosaurs fuelled one of the most heated and ridiculous conflicts ever seen between two scientists. While both bone-hunters were ultimately ruined by their bitter rivalry, their work discovered over 100 species of dinosaurs – like Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Triceratops – and helped to lay the groundwork for our current […]

In 1963, a man in the Nevşehir Province of Turkey knocked down a wall in his basement and ended up discovering a gigantic underground city up to 18 stories deep, complete with chapels, schools, and stables. Known as Derinkuyu, the city had been abandoned for centuries – probably much to the relief of the man […]

Geologists in China have unearthed a new type of ore that’s rich in niobium, a much-prized metal with superconductive properties that is used in everything from steel production to jet engines and particle accelerators.  Dubbed niobobaotite, the ore was recently discovered within the Bayan Obo Mining District of Inner Mongolia in China, according to an […]

An interdisciplinary team of researchers have used digital imaging techniques and scientific instrumentation to answer an enduring question: what did the famous Parthenon sculptures look like when they were originally made? The results reveal these ancient sculptures were elegantly painted, with different colors and multiple patterns and designs.  The Parthenon sculptures, sometimes called the Parthenon […]

In Gryfino, western Poland, there is a forest containing an unusual mystery. Around 400 trees – surrounded by trees growing normally – are bent 90 degrees at their base, with the majority of them bending towards the North. We know that the trees were planted some time in the 1930s, before Gryfino was invaded and […]

It seems there’s a new diet on the scene (another one), which is being touted by various supporters such as Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. But what is this new fad and how does it work? Just another intermittent fasting diet? OMAD stands for One Meal A Day, […]

Astronomers have tracked the sudden brightening of a star in infrared light, and its subsequent optical fade, as a result of an immense collision of two mighty planets. They’ve even spotted light thought to come from the puffed-up planet formed in the collision. In December 2021 the previously unremarkable star 2MASS J08152329-3859234 became substantially fainter […]

This Saturday, clear skies permitting, millions of people across North America will look up to see the Moon edged with what is termed a “ring of fire”. However, there is a much more long-standing ring of fire (in addition to the one Johnny Cash sang about). It surrounds the Pacific Ocean, and includes the most […]

Animal mating strategies and breeding behaviors offer some of the strangest and most impressive feats of nature that can be seen. From singing songs to woo your future mate to helping your mate get undressed, the animal kingdom sets the stage for all kinds of breeding behavior. However, the female frogs of the world have had […]

A “living fossil” that’s persisted on Earth for over 445 million years earned Laurent Ballesta the title of Wildlife Photographer Of The Year for 2023. The Grand Title winner submitted the mesmerizing shot of a golden horseshoe crab as part of a portfolio that took two weeks of diving for six hours a day to […]

It’s no secret that modern humans and Neanderthals regularly got it on, and that these prehistoric trysts had genetic consequences for our species. Now, it seems we can add pain sensitivity to that list of things our rampant interbreeding may have influenced. In a new study involving more than 7,000 people, researchers have demonstrated that […]

OSIRIS-REx dropped its priceless cargo – samples from asteroid Bennu – down to Earth a few weeks ago. The canister containing the material will be opened today in a livestream from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where the precious material will be unveiled to the world. Obviously, the asteroid bits will be opened in a specially […]

Many attempts have been made to find the so-called “Planet Nine”, but all have – so far – been fruitless. In a new paper, a team claims to have their own explanation: our theory of gravity is wrong. For a few decades, astronomers have been puzzled by an apparent clustering of objects, way out in […]