For the first time, the distinctive double peaks in emission lines detected from the heart of a galaxy have given us a chance to explore the edges of the bright disk surrounding the central black hole. This has not only confirmed many things we suspected about the region around supermassive black holes, but also allowed […]
Noises Heard In Biggest Hunt For The Loch Ness Monster In 50 Years
For some reason, 2023 was the year that people decided that the Loch Ness Monster has been fannying around for too long and it’s time to show its face. A huge hunt took place over the weekend for Nessie, the beast first “photographed” 89 years ago and which occasionally turns out to be a fish. […]
Brain-Dead Woman Gives Birth To Live Baby – How Is This Possible?
A new case report describes how a brain-dead woman was able to carry a fetus almost to term before the healthy baby was eventually delivered by cesarean section. Though similar incidents are rare, a recent systematic review uncovered 35 examples of pregnant women becoming brain-dead, 27 of which ended with a live birth, including three […]
New Blended Wing Body Aircraft Could Take To The Air In Just 4 Years
A revolutionary blended wing body (BWB) aircraft could take to the skies in as little as four years after the US Air Force selected JetZero to head up the next phase of its development program. This will be a seriously futuristic-looking craft, but the idea of rethinking airplane design in this way is nothing new. […]
What Your Hands Say About Your Health
Your hands reveal a lot about the state of your health. This is something that has been recognised since at least the time of Hippocrates – the father of modern medicine. The ancient Greek physician first described “clubbing” in a patient with empyema (where pus fills the space between the lungs and the membrane around […]
COVID: Should We Start Wearing Masks Again?
One thing that can be guaranteed about COVID is that evolution will provide us with a more or less constant stream of new coronavirus variants, some of which will be more successful at infecting people. Talk of mutations sounds scary and it can lead to serious problems, but it would be a mistake to think […]
Human Cells Have “Memory” Wiped In Major Regenerative Medicine Breakthrough
Scientists have found a way to reprogram human cells so that they mimic the highly plastic embryonic stem cells that have so much promise for use in regenerative medicine. By essentially wiping the cell’s “memory”, the team have created so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which could be used to regenerate or repair diseased tissue and […]
Bad Breath? You May Have Tonsil Stones
If you look down the back of your throat, you may be shocked to discover a small lump of hard material nestled in the folds of your tonsils. These are called tonsil stones, but what exactly are they made of? Firstly, what are tonsils? Despite what some people believe, the dangly thing at the back […]
New Gene Therapy Cuts Drinking In Alcohol-Dependent Monkeys By 90 Percent
A new gene therapy for alcohol addiction has shown impressive results in a study in monkeys. If these results translate to human trials, we could be looking at a whole new way of treating severe alcohol dependency. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a challenging condition to treat, with huge implications for the physical and mental […]
What Does It Mean When They Say There Is 30 Percent Chance Of Rain?
People are confused about the weather forecast, and finding out that the percentages given don’t mean quite what they thought they did. The latest confusion comes courtesy of the account “wild (tiktok) screenshots” on X (by which we mean “Twitter”), who lived up to their name and posted this: Advertisement ⓘ IFLScience is not responsible for […]
First Detection Of Particle Accelerator-Produced Neutrinos At The Large Hadron Collider
For the first time, neutrinos produced from nuclear reactions triggered by the Large Hadron Collider have been detected. Although physicists have been sure that the reactions occurring when particles are accelerated to close to the speed of light and crashed together produce neutrinos, capturing the evidence has been a different matter. The achievement could help […]
Fossil Treasure Trove Including New Species Discovered Under Wastewater Pipeline
During an upgrade of a wastewater treatment plant in Auckland, New Zealand, contractors stumbled upon the unexpected – an ancient shell bed that has since become one of the richest fossil finds in the country. The treasure trove of fossils was unearthed whilst excavating shafts for an upgrade to the city’s main raw sewage […]
Micrometers-Thin Battery Could Power Smart Contact Lenses And Charge Using Human Tears
In a move that takes sci-fi tech a step closer to reality, scientists have developed a super-thin battery that could be used to power smart contact lenses and even charge up using tears. Smart contact lenses are not just an object of spy movie fiction; they’ve been in the works for a while. Researchers have […]
How Plants Pass Down Genetic Memories Has Been Revealed
Epigenetic inheritance is very important for many organisms, including plants. Now, scientists have uncovered even more about this mechanism, which could have major implications for food supply, agriculture, and the environment. It was once thought that inheritance was simply the passing along of DNA from parent to offspring. But this is not the case – […]
Why Have 6,000 Octopuses Gathered At An Underwater Hydrothermal Spring?
Off the coast of California over 6,000 octopuses have gathered, the largest conglomeration of deep-sea octopuses on Earth, and these cephalopods are all huddled around an inactive underwater volcano. Now scientists are just starting to understand why. New research has shown that these areas of warm water near the springs from the hydrothermal volcanoes have […]
Conspiracy Theories Are Fueled By The “Need For Chaos”, Study Finds
The subject of conspiracy theories and why some people believe them has become increasingly popular over the last few years. However, less attention has been paid to the reasons why people will share them with others. In a new study, a team of researchers have found that the “need for chaos”, the desire to challenge […]
The Closest Planet To Neptune Turns Out To Be… Mercury
If you’re anything like us you’ve probably had the order of the planets in the Solar System memorized since school, with the older amongst you cursed to put Pluto in there despite it being downgraded a whole 17 years ago. So, which is the closest planet to Earth? Well if you said Venus – according […]
Rare Handfish Seen For First Time In 25 Years Off Coast Of Tasmania
Some species are so widespread and common that you could be fortunate enough to spot a magpie or even an ant nearly every day. On the flipside, some species are much harder to find, and those in the deep sea can be so rare, they only make an appearance once every few years. Now, scientists […]
Blue Supermoon Rising This Week: Witness The Year’s Biggest And Brightest Full Moon
Lunar lovers, this is your month. The only Blue Moon of 2023 rises this week and it will be the biggest and brightest Moon of the year. We have been treated to two Full Moons this August – a regular and a Blue Moon – and both of them occurred particularly close to our planet, […]
How Did Ancient Romans Build Aqueducts?
If you think of some examples of Roman inventions, the Roman aqueduct is probably among them. These large structures successfully transported water across great distances – but how did they do it, and how were they made? What have the Romans ever done for us? Roman aqueducts were channels designed to move fresh water from […]
