Deborah Bloomfield

Back in 2018, astronomers discovered a very peculiar stellar explosion, which got the automatic name of AT2018cow. Since then, it’s become known simply as the “cow” and it is the prototype of a new class of objects called Fast Blue Optical Transients (FBOTs). And researchers have now realized that the event was even weirder than […]

A tender moment between two whitetip sharks has been filmed off Cat Island in the Bahamas, marking the first time their mating ritual behaviors have been caught on camera. As a critically endangered species, insights like this are invaluable into the species’ ecology and to improving our understanding of how to conserve them in the […]

Italy has taken action to ban ChatGPT over alleged privacy violations. On March 31, the Italian Data Protection Authority said the AI chatbot would be temporarily blocked in the country “with immediate effect” and they will be investigating the company behind the technology, OpenAI. In a press release, the agency alleges that OpenAI is violating […]

Back in 1883, a pretty agate mineral was registered to the Natural History Museum’s Mineralogy Collection. Around 15 centimeters (6 inches) across, almost completely spherical but otherwise unassuming, the specimen has remained in the collection for the last 175 years, until a chance finding revealed it to be a dinosaur egg. The specimen’s pretty colors […]

Never get between an iguana and a cake are wise words to live by according to an infectious diseases conference in Copenhagen. There, researchers warned of a cautionary tale in which a girl who was bitten by a cake-stealing iguana developed a strange bacterial infection months after it happened. The Great Cake Heist occurred when […]

Got a plant nearby? Is it screaming? The truth is that if you’re behind on your botanical care, it might be, it’s just that the human ear can’t hear it. New research has shown that plants are capable of producing ultrasonic sounds that are beyond the range of the human ear, and these distress signals […]

Don’t be mistaken by this unassuming fur ball – it’s actually the curled-up mummified remains of a 30,000-year-old Arctic ground squirrel. Look closely and you’ll see it’s in such remarkable condition that it’s possible to make out its tiny claws.  The discovery was recently revealed by the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. They explained that it […]

Scientists in central Japan have discovered three new species of bioluminescent worms that are eerily reminiscent of creatures from Japanese folklore. These new Polycirrus worms, found in various locations across Japan, have been named after these preternatural beings, as well as a famous Japanese marine biologist. Bioluminescence is produced by organisms through a chemical reaction […]

Lolita, the oldest orca in captivity, was taken from her home in the Pacific Northwest when she was just 4 years old – now, over 50 years on, she’s preparing to finally be released back into her native waters. After growing concerns from animal rights groups, Miami Seaquarium (where Lolita, previously known as Tokitae, is […]

The complete skull of a sabertooth cat has been unearthed in a “near perfect condition” in southwest Iowa. Not only is this incredible specimen providing insights into this extinct beast’s lifestyle, but it’s also the first evidence the prehistoric predator once inhabited this central part of North America.  The incredible skull was discovered in Page […]

The halo surrounding the Milky Way contains gas as well as rare stars, but measuring that gas has proven difficult. The interference with short bursts of radio signals from distant galaxies offers astronomers a new solution. The gas in the Milky Way’s halo is too sparse and hot to measure directly. However, it interferes with […]

Recorded cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are higher than ever before and, for the first time, data shows it could be more prevalent in minority groups, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. The new information states that around one in 36 eight-year-olds in the US likely has autism, […]

There’s a new pseudoscience craze sweeping the internet, and it involves inserting your fingers into your vagina and then wiping them on your skin – all in the name of seduction. Known as “vabbing”, the trend has been touted as a cheaper and more alluring alternative to perfume, but can smelling like a vagina really […]

In 1993, Haddaway released the seminal dance classic What Is Love – a sparkling debut, by any musical metric, which also succinctly encapsulates a question that humanity has been wrestling with since time immemorial. Love has been the muse of playwrights, poets, artists, and composers through the ages; many have tried to quantify, describe, and […]

This week, new research finds exposure to cats and dogs in fetal development reduces chances of food allergies, a brand new “Einstein” tile can cover an infinite surface without ever repeating, and we get an exclusive behind the scenes look at the Natural History Museum London’s brand new Titanosaur exhibit. Brightest Cosmic Explosion Humanity Has […]

What does quantum mechanics, the most successful theory ever proposed by physics, teach us about reality? The starting point for most philosophers of physics is that quantum mechanics must somehow provide a description of the world as it is independently of us, the users of the theory. This has led to a large number of […]

“Medieval history” often brings up images of knights in shining armor, rampaging crusaders, and dying horribly from common and preventable causes. Far away from all those peculiarly disgusting Europeans, though, on what we now know as the Swahili Coast of Eastern Africa, there was something pretty amazing going on – as a new study reveals. “The […]

The province of Al-Jouf in the northwestern Saudi Arabian desert is home to 21 enormous 3D carvings into the rockface. These depictions of camels and horses were found in 2018 and first believed to be around 2,000 years old. Subsequent testing, however, revealed they likely predate Egypt’s pyramids and even Stonehenge. Despite extreme weathering as […]

We’ve been getting the mouthparts of theropod dinosaurs like T. Rex wrong for over a century, a new study claims. If any of their victims had been foolish enough to look back while being chased, they would not have seen some of the most fearsome teeth ever formed coming for them, at least while the […]

The World Happiness Report 2023 has been released, once again showing that the Nordic countries are certainly doing something right when it comes to their populations’ well-being. That’s especially true for Finland, which secured the title of the world’s happiest country for the sixth time in a row.  It has been over 10 years since […]